A Wonderful Partnership (Updated)
by TheWayofLife-447
Summary: Took over from the real author of this story. This is story is starting from season 1. This book is about B&B but they are married early on in the show.
1. Chapter 1

**A Wonderful Partnership**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own bones but I wish I did  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Pilot**

Angela rushes to the arrival boards looking for the gate of her best friend's flight arrival. "I'm late…" The boards start to malfunction causing Angela to get frustrated even more so than the fact that she was late. "This board is broken. The arrivals board is not working." She looks around for help asking, "Uh, did anybody meet the flight from Guatemala? Aviateca airlines? What gate? Yeah, right. I'm late." She sees the customer service desk and walks up to it.

"Excuse me, uh, you have a computer glitch at the arrivals board." Yet she gets no response. That just makes her even madder. "Hello! Sir, excuse me, yoo-hoo…" The man there had the gull to hold up his finger to her. "Great." Doing the only thing she knows will get this ignorant man's attention, Angela rips open her shirt revealing a rather sexy lacy bustier. Which, of course, does get the man's attention. "Yeah. Hi. The flight from Guatemala?"

In the background you see a woman with brilliant blue eyes and her brown hair up into a ponytail say, "Tell me you tried 'Excuse me' first." She smiles warmly at Angela as she turns around.

Angela recognizes that voice in an instant and runs to engulf her in a hug while saying, "Sweeeeeetie. Yes, I did. Welcome home." They hug for a little longer and then they start walking toward the exit with Angela firing off questions, "Are you exhausted? Was Guatemala awful? Was it horribly backwards?"

Brennan smiles and jokes, "And yet I was never reduced to flashing my boobs for information."

Angela goes right along with it, "Flash them for any fun reasons?"

Of course, Brennan being her literal self says, "I was literally, neck deep in a mass grave, not romantic."

Angela – thinking that Brennan went on her latest adventure due to her ex-boyfriend – says, "You know, diving in a pit of cadavers is no way to handle a messy break up."

Brennan feels a twinge of guilt at deceiving her best friend like this but she lies, "Angela, nothing Pete and I ever did was messy." All the while Brennan can feel the ring around her necklace pressing against her chest.

Angela just laughs, "Then you were not doing the right things."

Brennan doesn't know what that means, however she has noticed a man has been following them. So she suddenly stops and drops her bag to confront this man. She goes right up to him and asks, "Sir, why are you following us?"

The unknown man grabs her arm trying to bring her in, but Brennan knowing martial arts and from other training, moves faster than the man and brings him down to the ground with a few arm swings and knee kicks.

Angela starts to yell, "Attack! Security! Hello! Who runs this airport?" She then starts to hit the man with her own purse and says, "Kick his ass sweetie!"

As all of this is happening the police arrive and raise their weapons. One officer says, "Police! Ma'am, step back now!"

Brennan looks at the cops like they're crazy, "He attacked me!"

The man on the ground yells to her, "I'm Homeland Security!"

Angela seeing the whole mess they were now in says, "Oh, little misunderstanding here."

Since the police still had their guns pointing at Brennan, she raised her arms up and stated with authority, "You can put away your guns."

The officers actually start to lower their weapons, but the man from Homeland Security says while he starts to get up, "What is she in charge now? No. I'll tell you when you can lower your weapons." The police raise their weapons one more time while the Homeland Security man orders Brennan, "Hand over the bag."

Brennan says annoyed, "Oh, is that what this is about?" She reaches down for her bag and hands it over to the agent. The agent opens her bag to only find a human skull nestled within it.

Brennan – already knowing what is in there – says, "Boo." The agent drops the bag as one officer comes up behind Brennan to bring her, with Angela smile all the while.

~BONES~

Brennan is trying to explain to the agent why she has the skull, "I am Doctor Temperance Brennan. I've been in Guatemala for two months identifying victims of genocide including him." She gestures the skull that is sitting on the table.

The agent tries to reason with Brennan, trying to get her to "say" something she shouldn't, "Most people in this situation, what they do is, they sweat it."

Brennan is still unfazed – and actually bored. She just really wants to get home. "Guatemala. Genocide. How are you scary after that?"

The agent just nods his head and says, "You know who doesn't sweat it?" A security guard behind him says, "Sociopaths."

Brennan takes offense to that, "I am not a sociopath, I'm an anthropologist at the Jeffersonian."

The agent then adds, "Who works for the FBI. Which I'd maybe believe if you had an ID that did more than allowed you access to the cafeteria."

While the agent is saying this, a man in a suit enters the room carrying a book with him.

Unfazed by the male, the agent continues, "You were illegally transporting human remains ma'am and you assaulted a Homeland Security agent."

Brennan reaches out to somewhat show her not-wholehearted remorse says, "Look, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends but, next time you should identify yourself before attacking me." She then turns to the man in the suit. She felt his presence immediately but knew she had to keep up the charade. "What are you doing here?"

Booth steps forward, showing his badge, and says, "FBI. Special Agent Seeley Booth, Major Crime Investigation, D.C. Bones identifies bodies for us."

Brennan loving that little nickname he gave her but won't admit it says, "Don't call me Bones." She then turns to the agent and says, "And I do more than identify."

Booth holds up the book and slides it across the table to the agent. "She also writes books."

The agent looks down at the book and examines it for a few seconds, all the while Brennan is wondering why Booth was there to "bail" her out. The agent finally speaks, "Fine. She's all yours."

Booth trying to get out of there as fast as possible says, "Great. Let's grab your skull and let's vamoose."

Brennan not believing any of this jumps up from her seat and says indignantly, "What! That's it? She's all yours? Why did you stop me?"

Booth trying his hardest to get her off the topic reaches for the bag the agent put on the table and says, "Why does it matter? You're free to go. Let's just grab your bags, click, click, clang, clang."

Brennan finally seeing all the pieces to the puzzle says to Booth, "You set me up." Turning to the agent she states, "You got a hold for questioning request from the FBI didn't you?"

The agent just looks at Booth. Brennan turns toward Booth not believing what he risked. And Booth knows that they were so going to have another little spat about this.

The agent looks back to Brennan and says, "I love this book." And he hands it back to her.

Brennan – who is ultimately pissed – grabs the book and then the skull. She walks past Booth telling him, "Come on."

~BONES~

Brennan is seated next to him in his SUV and says, "That's the best you can do?"

Booth playing dumb says, "What?"

Brennan knowing what he's doing goes along with it because she wants to have just a little fun with him says, "Getting Homeland Security to snatch me so that you can stage a fake rescue."

Booth looking lovingly toward Brennan says, "Well, at least I picked you up at the airport huh?" He then sent her that smile he knew she couldn't resist.

She only smiled at him slightly, "You shouldn't have done that."

Booth sighed, "Hey, come on. I went through the appropriate channels but your assistant there, he stonewalled me!"

Brennan grabbed the ring hanging around her neck and played with it while saying, "Yeah, well after the last case I told Zach to never, ever to put you through. He's a good assistant. And you know why I had to tell him that."

Booth looked at his wife and smiled at her, "I know and I love you too."

Brennan not liking that her husband sort of won this one said, "You can let me out anywhere along here."

Booth knowing that he should just get straight to the reason why he almost blew their secret, said, "Alright, listen. A decomposed corpse was found this morning at Arlington National Cemetery down..."

Temperance not really wanting to hear the reasons why says, "Arlington National Cemetery is full of decomposed corpses, it's a cemetery."

Booth tried to clarify it for her, "Yeah, but this one is your type of corpse. It wasn't in a casket."

Brennan seeing what he was saying – she had a case with him – told him, "If you drive one more block, I'm screaming 'kidnap' out the window. I just got back from looking at hundreds of dead people Booth. Let's just go home."

Booth would love to do that exact thing and a few other things, but he just couldn't stop in the middle of a case to do what he wanted. There was a murderer out there. "I know that, and I would love to go home to but Bones…"

Brennan didn't want to hear it, "Pull over."

Booth not really wanting to argue while driving does just that. Unfortunately his beautiful, yet stubborn wife, gets out of the SUV and starts walking away saying, "I'm going home. Either you come with me or I'll see you later tonight."

Booth just wanted to get this over with so he could be with his wife tonight said exasperatingly while following her, "Great! Could we… Look, could we just skip this part?"

Brennan couldn't believe that he thought he would win this one too, "I find you very condescending right now."

Booth didn't want to but he couldn't resist saying, "Me! I'm condescending. I'm not the one who's got to mention that she's got a Doctorate every five minutes."

Brennan turned toward, walking backwards and says, "I am the one with the Doctorate."

Booth did not want to fight about this, "Yeah, well you know what? I'm the one with the badge and the gun huh. You know, you're not the only forensic anthropologist in town." Even though he knew that was a lie.

Brennan just laughed at her husband's words, "Yes I am. The next nearest is in Montreal. Parlez-vous francais?"

Booth knew he was going to have to compromise in some way gave up this offer, "What's it going to take?"

Brennan – happy to see that her husband was finally giving in – says, "Full participation in the case."

Booth just said, "Fine." Even though he already hates the risk involved.

Brennan clarified for her husband so he didn't try to work his way out of this deal, "Not just lab work. Everything."

Booth knew what his wife meant and was getting frustrated that they weren't already at the cemetery, "What? Do you want me to spit in my hand? We're Scully and Mulder."

Brennan had no clue what her husband was talking about, "I don't know what that means."

Booth chuckling inside at his wife's lack of pop culture knowledge, says, "It's an olive branch, just get back in the car."

Brennan smiles at him and starts to walk toward the car holding hands with her husband. "Thank you Booth."

Right before she enters the car Booth spins her around and places his hands by the side of her head. "Anything for you Bones."

She was just starting to say, "Don't call me Bones." When finally her husband kissed her. All of their pent up frustration and passion went into that kiss. Brennan dropped her bag to lace her fingers through Booth's hair, tugging him even closer. Before long, Booth had her pinned against the door wanting to do a lot more to his wife than just kiss her. Without even thinking about it, Brennan wrapped her legs around his waist – feeling his evident arousal. She moaned inside his mouth, which snapped Booth – unfortunately – out of their public display.

He rested his forehead against her own, panting heavily. "Bones, we need to get to the cemetery."

Brennan pouted slightly, "You started it. I've been gone for two months Booth…"

Booth said under his breath, "Don't I know it."

However she continued as if he hadn't said anything, "I've missed you and I want to show you how much I've missed you." She provocatively circled her hips, causing friction against his arousal. Involuntarily Booth bucked forward.

"That is not nice babe." He said breathlessly. God what he would do for a private room right about now.

Brennan smiled wickedly at him, "Well, we could go home like I said we should." She then leaned forward to whisper into her husband's ear, like she had a secret, "I can't tell you how aroused I am just by being around you."

Booth leaned his fore head against the SUV's door, reciting the saints in his head. "Babe, we need to go to the cemetery." He heard his wife sigh of frustration. "But I promise you, we will continue this when we get home." With that he gave her one more searing kiss and gently brought her feet back down to the ground.

Brennan watched her husband walking around the SUV, with a little difficulty trying to hide his arousal and smirked as she grabbed her forgotten bag and opened the door. Angela would be so proud.

~BONES~

As they pulled up to the cemetery Booth regained control over his body – which was rather easy since on the drive there his wife told him what she had witnessed while in Guatemala – and they were both in work mode and their façade was up once again: An annoyed anthropologist working for an even more annoyed FBI Agent.

Brennan asked, "What's the context of the find?"

Booth hurried to catch up with his wife as they walked down to the pond, "Routine landscaping dropped a load in the local pond, one of the workmen thought he saw something."

Brenna walks up to the pond to find her assistant, Zach Addy, is already there getting ready for her, "Hi Zach."

Zach smiles at his mentor, "This eco-warrior look works for you."

Brennan smiles at him, "Thanks."

Zach continues to compliment her, "Very action oriented."

Brennan – almost forgetting that this is only suppose to be her second time working with Booth – states, "Agent Booth, you remember my assistant Zach Addy?"

Booth, not really having to pretend his feelings for his wife's assistant, says, "Oh yeah…"

Zach looks to Brennan and asks about her trip, "How was Guatemala? Dig up lots of massacred victims? Learn a thing or two about machete strikes?"

Brennan finds that she doesn't like to mix work with – well technically that was work as well but she really wants to get home – so she tells her assistant, "Zach, I need water samples and temperature readings from the pond."

Zach ready to find approval from his professor says, "Right away Dr. Brennan."

Booth, once again let's his wife know what he thinks of Zach, "He's got no sense of discretion that kid. Typical Squint."

Brennan can hear, 1. Booth's sexual frustration and 2. His overall frustration at the socially inept assistant, in his voice and tries to placate him a little, "Booth…"

Booth sighs quietly, "I know, I know. It's just when cops get stuck, we bring in people like you. You know? Squints. You know, you squint at things."

Brennan just rolls her eyes and says jokingly, "Oh, you mean people with very high IQ's and basic reasoning skills."

Booth smiles candidly at his wife, "Yeah."

She hands off her bag to him as they get ready to go in the boat.

~BONES~

Booth readies the camera, as he slowly lowers it into the pond. Brennan can't help her curiosity, "What exactly am I supposed to be squinting at?"

Booth smirks at her and says, "Oh you know, it's like pornography, you'll know it when you see it." He then caresses her hip slightly.

Brennan smiles gently but the smile soon goes away as she sees the skeleton, "Yeah okay. This is a crime scene."

~BONES~

Brennan is looking at the remains that have been taken out of the pond while Zach is taking pictures of them. "Remains are wrapped in four-milled, flat poly-construction sheeting."

Zach adds his observations, "PVC coated chicken wire."

Brennan makes note of that and continues, "Weighted. That's why the body didn't surface during decomposition. The skeleton is complete but the skull is in fragments."

Booth comes up to the group. He really, really, really just wants to go home with his wife and… "What can you tell me?"

Brennan is frustrated at herself. She has nothing which means she won't be able to go home yet. She sighs quietly, "Not much. She was a young woman, probably between 18 and 22, approximately 5'3", race unknown, delicate features."

Booth almost whines – the operative word being almost – and says, "That's all?"

Brennan smiles gently at her husband's behavior and offers him, "Tennis player."

He still is amazed at what his wife can do and asks, "How do you get a pretty tennis player out of that yuck?"

Zach, unaware of the really meaning behind all of their words, answers, "Epiphyses fusion gives age, pelvic bone shape gives sex."

Brennan points out, "Bursitis in the shoulder. Somebody this young, must be an athletic injury."

Wanting to get this done with tonight asks, "When did she die?"

Brennan knows Booth knows she doesn't like to guess, so she says, "Ehhhh…..

Booth rolls his eyes inside and mocks, "Ehhhh… What does that even mean?"

Zach chimes in, "It means wait until our bug and slime guy takes a look."

Brennan points out another fact, "No clothing."

Booth hates that being said, "You know, in my line of work, no clothes usually means a sex crime."

Brennan tries to reason with her husband, "In my line of work, it could also mean the victim favored natural fibers."

Zach, while still take pictures, tells Booth, "Your suit, for example, will outlast your bones by decades."

Brennan finally feeling satisfied with the work accomplished tells Zach, "Collect silt, 3 meters radius, to a depth of 10 cm." She turns toward her husband and smiles sadly at him knowing she won't be going home tonight, "Your FBI forensics team can take the plastic and the chicken wire, we'll take the rest."

Booth sighs. Great now he'd have to wait even longer to be with his wife.

~BONES~

Brennan looks down at all the skull fragments and begins the whole process. Everything fades away. Before long she finds herself waking up to the smell of coffee. She looks around and decides that she needs to go home to sleep for just a while. Maybe her husband will show up…

~BONES~

Cullen couldn't believe what he just heard, "So, you guaranteed a squint a field role in an active murder investigation."

Booth knew his boss didn't like this one bit, "Yes sir."

Cullen sighed, "The one that wrote the book."

Booth nodded one more time, "Yes sir."

Cullen sighed again, "I thought you said that she wouldn't work with you anymore."

Booth looked down at his lap, "Well, the last case we worked she provided a description of the murder weapon and the murderer but I didn't give her much credence."

Cullen wanted to hear this, "Why not?"

Booth couldn't give his boss the real reason behind that first case, the real argument, so he lied to his boss, "Because she did it by looking at the victim's autopsy x-rays."

Cullen snorted, now that he could believe, "Well I wouldn't give it much credence either."

Booth, feeling proud of what his wife does and couldn't help but boast about her, "Turns out she was right on both plus the pond victim, Brennan gives me the victim's age, sex and favourite sport."

Cullen couldn't believe it, "Which is?"

Booth smirked slightly at the memory, "Tennis."

Cullen definitely couldn't believe it now, "She's good."

Booth, saying so much more than what his boss thought, said, "Oh, she's amazing. If the only way I can get her back to my side is to bring her out in the field, I'm willing."

Cullen thought it over for a few seconds, "Fine. She's on you. Take a squint out in the field, she's your responsibility."

Booth smiled inwardly as he said, "Thank you sir."

~BONES~

Booth walks into their apartment and throws his keys on the counter. He sees his wife's bag on the floor and smiles widely. He walks quietly into their room to find his wife sleeping with only her camisole and her rather sexy lacy underpants. He walks up to her and gently climbs on top of her until his face is mere centimeters away from hers. He gently kisses her lips.

Brennan starts to wake up to the most wonderful wake-up call in two months. Her husband's lips are softly kissing hers and she responds immediately. Without even opening her eyes, she wraps her arms around his neck to bring him closer and wraps her legs around his waist.

Booth loves that his wife responds so eagerly to him and they were back to where they were earlier the day before up against his SUV. Brennan skillfully gets rid of her husband's tie, shirt, suit jacket and his belt all within a couple of minutes. She starts to unbutton his pants as he moves away from her lips to his favorite (and her favorite) spot on her neck. He sucks gently there, eliciting moans from his beautiful wife. The pants – along with his boxers – are finally taken off and somewhere along the way Booth took off Brennan's camisole and undergarments.

Booth stares down at his wife for a few seconds in awe at her beauty. He still can't believe that she's his wife. "God, I love you babe."

Brennan smiles at him softly, "I love you too." With that he places a passionate kiss on her lips and begins the ride to a blissful end. After only a few minutes Booth can already feel his wife's climax impending. He feels her walls starting to contract and it's like heaven for him. Unfortunately, their phone rings.

Even while feeling the best she's felt in a while Brennan can see it's the lab calling. Panting out, "Booth." Her husband already knows what's going to happen, and he'll have none of it. So he lifts her hips up slightly and rocks forward, bringing her even closer to the edge. She moans loudly but still gets out, "The lab is calling."

Booth just wants to shoot that damn phone, but instead he dares her in his sexy, husky voice, "Answer it then."

Brennan always up for a challenge – and hopefully she won't lose at this one – reaches for the phone all the while still making love with her husband. She unintentionally snaps, "What?" in a breathless voice as her husband brings her even closer.

Angela takes the phone away from her ear and looks at it, unsure of what she can hear in the background – but she's pretty sure it sounds like her best friend is… "Sweetie, I made the facial reconstruction."

Brennan holds back a moan, "Thanks, I'll see you soon." But before she can hang up Angela is positive she hears a male grunt of pleasure. And she just smirks.

However Brennan is completely unaware of that as finally, after two months of being away from her husband the break the laws of physics. And become one. Again.

~BONES~

Booth made sure that he came into the lab first. They didn't want the team to think that they were together when they were, in fact, together. Booth couldn't wipe that stupid 'I just made love to my wife' smile off of his face. And then he looked up at Angela's painting. "This is interesting, Angela."

Brennan enters the room, try conceal her own 'after sex glow' from her team, especially Angella. "Good morning. Does Booth know how this works?"

Angela explains what is about to be seen, "This computer program, which I designed, patent pending, accepts a full array of digital input, processes it and then projects it as a three dimensional holographic image."

Booth just looked at the team, "Okay."

Brennan trying to get into Dr. Temperance Brennan mode asked, "You get that?"

Booth could see that she was still trying to get her ground from their love making (which boosted his own inner ego, of course he would never say that out loud). So he tried to help her out, "Yeah, that and the patent pending part."

Angela explained even more to Booth, "Brennan reassembled the skull and applied tissue markers."

Brennan walked up to the Angelator with everyone else and said, "Her skull was badly damaged, but racial indicators, cheekbone dimensions, nasal arch, occipital measurements suggest African American."

Angela put in all of the details and stated, "And…. We have our victim."

Booth brings his fingers through the hologram, amazed. "Whoa. Have to admit, that's pretty cool."

Brennan gently brings down her husband's arm, trying to put the pieces together, without even thinking about it. "Ange, rerun the program substituting Caucasian values."

Angela does as requested and an new image comes up. Brennan couldn't put her finger on it but the victim looked familiar, "Does she look familiar to anyone?"

Booth thought he recognized her, but still said, "No."

Brennan couldn't shake the feeling though and told Angela, "Split the difference, mixed race."

Angela wanted to know how mixed, "Lenny Kravitz or Vanessa Williams?"

Brennan being, of course, naïve to pop culture, says, "I don't know what that means." Angela makes the changes and Booth can't believe what he sees. Brennan says, "Angela, reduce tissue depth over the cheekbones to the jaw line." Angela makes the changes. "Does anyone recognize her?"

Zach shakes his head, "Not me."

Angela isn't so sure anymore, "Wait, is that who I think it is?"

Zach starts to make the connections, "The girl who had the affair with the Senator?"

Booth can't believe it. "Her name is Cleo Louise Eller. Only daughter to Ted and Sharon Eller. Last seen approximately 9pm, April 6, 2003 leaving the Cardio Deluxe Gym on K Street, she didn't even make it to her car. "

Brennan knows what this case means to Booth, but she can't very well comfort him in front of everyone. "Pretty good memory."

Booth looks at his wife and sends her a silent message of pain, "Yeah well, it's my job to find her."

Hodgins – unbeknownst to the silent conversation going on – says, "Well, in that case, congratulations on your success."

Booth breaks eye contact with his wife and says, "This isn't exactly the way I wanted it to end."

~BONES~

Booth still doesn't like that this case has come to this, "Cleo Eller is not just some missing girl."

Hodgins says without thought of how Booth feels, "Yeah, she's a senate intern who was boinking Senator Allen Bethlehem."

A little pissed off now, Booth says, "I was secondary in the investigation to the disappearance of that girl and we couldn't confirm that." Booth turns to his wife and asks, "How did you recognize her before she even had her own face?"

Brennan wanted to reach out and comfort Booth, but with everyone around she had to settle with the facts, "I recognized the underlying architecture of her features, the rest is just window dressing."

Zach talks to Brennan and asks, "I'm not an expert but, shouldn't he be happier?"

Booth answers for Brennan, "Oh no, believe me, I'm happy."

Hodgins tries to explain it to Zach a little bit more, "He's not happy because Senator Bethlehem chairs the Senate Committee overseeing the FBI."

Angela states, "You seem happy to me."

Booth looks at all three squints and says seriously, "I need this kept quiet."

Hodgins looked like a kid in a candy store, "Ha! Cover up!"

Booth did not want to deal with this right now, so he started walking away with Brennan right behind him. He yelled back though, "Paranoid conspiracy theory."

Hodgins yelled back, "Is it paranoia that Monica Lewinsky was a KGB trained sex agent mole?"

Brennan runs up to walk in p ace with her husband, "So what do you do first, confront the Senator?"

Booth sighs. His wife was not going to like what he was going to say. "Listen, Bones, I know…"

Brennan interrupts him, "Booth, don't call me Bones."

Booth smiles lightly and continues, hoping for the best, "I know we talked about you coming out in the field and all…"

Brennan couldn't believe what her husband was saying, "Ugh. You Rat Bastard!" She also slapped his arm for emphasis.

Booth knew she was going to be pissed, and pissed she was. Great. "A case this big and the Director is going to create a special investigation and if I line all my ducks up in a row I could maybe… maybe I can head it up."

Brennan looked at her husband confused, "I don't know what that means but I think I could be a duck. "

Booth could have laughed at that cute face she was making, but opted out on that one since it would probably mean bodily harm for him. "You're not a duck ok! On this one we stick to the book. Cops on the street, squints in the lab."

Brennan heard him say "on this one" but she didn't care. She was not going to back down now. "Well in that case, the Jeffersonian will be issuing a press release identifying the girl in the pond."

Booth knew what she was playing at and he didn't like it. "You do that, I'm a dead duck. What are you trying to do?"

Brennan smirked, "Blackmail you."

Booth was half proud and half mad at what his wife was doing, "Blackmail a Federal Agent?"

Brennan's smirk turned into a full on smile, "Yes."

Booth looked directly into his wife's eyes and couldn't help the smirk that came across his face, "I don't like it."

Brennan's smiled into a more seductive one, "I'm fairly certain you're not supposed to."

Booth sighed, "Fine. You're in. Just remember babe, you are so going to pay for this later."

Brennan wanted to grab onto his arm and rest her head against his shoulder, but settled for, "I'm looking forward to that."

~BONES~

After talking with Cullen about the most recent findings, the duo was now driving to Cleo's parents' place. Brennan was now telling Booth what the newest findings were, "Hodgins identified the particulates embedded in Cleo Eller's skull as rolled steel most likely from a sledge typed hammer also there's concrete and diatomaceous earth."

Booth looked at the bottle briefly and asked, "What's that?" While taking it from his wife.

Brennan explained, "Looks like that. It's made up of prehistoric sea creatures, it's used as an insecticide, filtering agent, cleaning abrasive, ceramics… It's very common."

Booth smiled, happy to be working with his wife again. "Diatomaceous earth. Common or not, it's a clue."

~BONES~

After talking with the Eller's the team starts to walk back to the SUV. Brennan however was thinking about what Booth said. "Those people deserved the truth."

Booth knows that his wife's policy is to tell them the facts no matter what, but… "Babe, their daughter was murdered. They deserve the kindness of a lie."

Brennan tried to reason with him though, "There'll be an inquest report."

Booth looked at her and smiled softly, "Which they won't read because they don't want to, especially because toward the end, Cleo and her parents weren't even speaking."

Brennan looked at him in disbelief again at how he got this information, "They told you that?"

Booth almost forgot where they were, for he was about to come up to her and swipe the piece of hair out of her face. Thankfully he caught himself and just said, "You know, getting information out of live people is a lot different than getting information out of a pile of bones. You have to offer up something of yourself first."

Brennan – ever fascinated with her husband's past – says, "What exactly did you do in the military? What did they teach you?"

Booth chuckles, "See? See what you did right there Bones? You asked a personal question without offering anything personal in return and since I'm not a skeleton, you gotta offer up something first babe."

Without even thinking about it Brennan steps up to Booth and gently straightens his tie, "I am one of the luckiest women on this planet because I am married to a wonderfully kind gentleman."

Booth smiles lovingly down at his wife, "Oh really, would I happen to know this wonderfully kind gentleman?"

Brennan smiled sweetly at him and patted his chest lightly, "I expect an answer to my question Booth. Tonight. In bed."

Booth barked out a laugh shaking his head slightly. His wife was going to be the death of him. And thank god for that.

~BONES~

After having his ass handed to him on a plate by his boss, both Booth and Brennan left his office together and Booth immediately asked his wife, "You okay?"

Brennan couldn't believe what she just did. "Don't be nice to me after I got you in trouble."

Booth smiled warmly at her. Yeah he was mad, but it wasn't the end of the world. "Your heart was in the right place."

Brennan shook her head, still kicking herself – of course figuratively – for what just happened. "No, I'm not a heart person, you're a heart person, I'm a brain person. You vouched for me."

He really didn't want to talk with his wife right outside his boss' office. "Forget it…"

Brennan couldn't let Booth do something like that and not try and help him in return. "No, I won't. You think it was the Senator?"

Booth sighed knowing she wasn't going to give this one up. "Look, the Senator has had sex with a dozen of these interns and he hasn't killed any of them, our best bet is still the stalker."

Brennan smiled. She had her Booth back. "You want to check him out, we can, I don't, what do you call it, roost him?"

Booth smirked at her attempt at the phrase. "It's 'rouse' babe."

Brennan smiled at his whispered 'babe'. "Fine rouse. Well the murderer snatched a Bronze Star from Cleo's neck so."

Booth couldn't believe that his wife was now his support system to continue with this case. God, he loved her. "I've got twelve hours before this case is over and I'm off it so, let's go rouse."

~BONES~

Booth had been listening to everything the squints had been saying since he got there. But when Hodgins said, "Sound like any conniving, son-of-bitch senators you know?" he couldn't let that go by without them knowing the repercussions. "You expect me to declare war on a United States Senator based on your little holographic crystal ball."

Brennan didn't like that her husband doubted their logic. He never did that before. "It's not magic. It's a logical recreation of events based on evidence."

Booth didn't see the hurt in her eyes when he said, "No more valid than my gut."

Zach stated the fact, "A good hypothesis withstands testing that's what makes it a good hypothesis."

Booth – who couldn't stand this squint in particular – said without thinking, "It's not a hypothesis, you have a dead girl and a United States Senator. This is exactly why squints belong in the lab, you guys don't know anything about the real world." Once he said it though, he regretted it.

Brennan couldn't believe her ears. Glaring at Booth she said, "Come on, we're done here."

Seeing that he wasn't alone, kept up the charade, "Wow. Touchy."

Angela turned off the Angelator and said, "You must know about her family. Both parents vanish when she's fifteen? Probably counts as the real world."

Booth was already trying to figure out a way to tell his wife he was sorry, "Yeah. I know the story, read the file, cops never found out anything."

Angela tried to help Booth see what more was there. "Yeah, Brennan figures that if maybe somebody like her had been there…"

However Booth couldn't help to say this, "For someone who hates psychology, she sure has a lot of it."

~BONES~

Booth knew exactly where to find her. She always had an odd fascination with guns. "Thought I'd find you here. You know, you being a good shot and doing martial arts, it's all your way of dealing. Who knows better than you how fragile life can be?"

Brennan couldn't help but jab at him. She was, after all, still mad at her husband, "Maybe an Army Ranger sniper who became an FBI homicide investigator?"

Booth smirked, "Ah, you looked me up, huh?" He steps forward and places his hand on the small of her back, "I'm sorry Bones. I wasn't thinking when I said those things. I know how much you've been through." He looked down at the gun and asked, "Do you mind?"

Brennan's heart melted a little at Booth's words. "Be my guest."

Booth brought his hand to her hip and squeezed it gently, "Thank You." Booth picks up the gun and purposely misses.

Brennan, knowing how good of a shot he really is, chuckles and jokes, "Were you any good at being a sniper"

Booth smiles at the fact that this almost argument has now been dissipated. "A sniper gets to know a little something about killers. Senator Bethlehem, he's no killer."

Brennan still didn't know how her husband went with his gut on some things said, "Oh, and Oliver Laurier is?"

Booth backed his wife up against the wall and was mere inches from her face when he said, "The way I read Laurier, he's unhinged. That makes him dangerous." Which was meant both as a warning to her to be careful around Oliver.

Brennan couldn't help but jab one more time, "That'd be your gut telling you that, correct?"

Booth smirked at what she said, "You know, homicides, they're not solved by just scientists. They're solved by guys like me asking a thousand questions a thousand times, catching people telling lies every time. You're great at what you do, Bones, but you don't solve murders alone, cops do as well."

Brennan knew exactly what she needed to say to get her husband off of his butt and do his job. So she challenged him, "Cleo Eller was killed on a cement floor sprinkled with diatomaceous earth. Traces of her blood will still be in that cement. One of us is wrong, maybe both of us. But if Bethlehem wasn't a Senator, you'd be right there in his basement looking for that killing floor. You're afraid of him. Your hypothesis is that squints don't solve murders and cops do, prove it. Be a cop." Smirking, she patted his chest and sashayed away from him. Booth grabs his gun and fires two quick perfect kill shots. He hated it when his wife made so much sense sometimes.

~BONES~

Booth had gone back to his office. Brennan now stood at the door knocking on it and stepping in clearing her throat. Without looking up Booth states, "They look pretty happy, don't they. Otherwise they wouldn't turn on the camera I guess."

Brennan can see the pain in Booth's eyes and gets right to the point, "Zach said you wanted to see me?" Booth hands Brennan a piece of paper. Brennan opens it and looks at it. "You got a warrant to search Bethlehem's place?"

Booth sighs heavily. This case was getting to him and he didn't like it one bit. "You were right. If Bethlehem wasn't a Senator, I'd be in that basement, looking for that killing floor. But you're wrong, I was never afraid of that guy and I'm not doing this because you're a genius babe, I'm doing this for Cleo. You ready partner?"

Brennan looked at him with her lopsided smile, "Since when are we partners?"

Booth smirks at his wife, "I apologize for the assumption."

~BONES~

Brennan calls out to Booth as he walks up to her, "At least we got the hammer."

Booth is upset. It isn't enough. "Yeah but that's all we got Bones."

Brennan doesn't believe it. What about the floor? "The cement floor in the basement?"

Booth shakes his head. "Yeah, no blood or diatomaceous earth. We needed a trifecta Bones. Physical evidence, murder weapon, crime scene. Come on let's go home. I'll hand over the case to Cullen tomorrow and this will all be over with."

Brennan looks at her husband. She thinks to herself, He needs to get this guy. So instead of doing what she's wanted to do ever since this morning, she shakes her head, "No, you go on. I still have some things I need to take care of at the lab."

~BONES~

Zach couldn't believe it, "They won't even arrest him?"

Hodgins was confident though that justice would prevail, "Don't worry, if that's the hammer used on Cleo Eller, he'll get arrested. A toast to getting this bastard."

Brennan just shook her head. "The hammer's not enough. He's gonna get away with it. And maybe Booth is right, maybe outside the lab I'm useless."

Hodgins holds up the little saint book and says cheerfully, "Let's take guidance from the lives of the Saints."

Angela reads who the saint is, "Albertus Magnus, Patron Saint of Scientists."

Zach ponders that and thinks about what he knows about saints, "I thought Magnus was the Patron Saint of fish mongers?"

Hodgins expounds on his friends knowledge. "Two separate entities. Albertus Magnus was a 13th century philosopher, the fish monger saint was a …"

However Brennan starts thinking of what Zach just said and something clicks. She yells, "Fish!" All three of the squints look at Brennan like she's gone mad. Brennan continues, "You said that diatomaceous earth could be used as a filtering agent."

Hodgins nods slowly, "Yeah, for swimming pools, water filters…"

Brennan let's them in on her thought process, "Or tropical fish. Oliver Laurier said that Ken Thompson kept fish." Brennan jumps up and starts to run out of the lab.

Angela – still not fully grasping the big deal – asks, "What's your hurry?"

Brennan turns back to them and explains, "Thompson read the warrant. He knows we're looking for diatomaceous earth. Get in touch with Booth; tell him where I'm going, okay?" Then Brennan starts to run to get to her car.

Angela turns to Hodgins and says, "She didn't actually say where she was going, did she?"

~BONES~

After yet again a very long night of no sleep, due to the fact that Brennan had to give her statement and had been arrested by her own husband (!) she stood in front of the funeral for Cleo with the rest of her team.

Angela asks quietly, "Is the FBI going to lay charges against Brennan?"

Hodgins looks at Booth and states, "She only shot him in the leg. Once."

Booth hated that he had to arrest his wife. He was actually real proud of how his wife figured everything out. She caught the killer. He tried to explain, "She didn't give him a warning. She just shot him, with alcohol on her breath." Brennan starts to walk away from the funeral at that.

Goodman tries to reason with Booth, "It was her first shooting, you can't expect it to be perfect right out of the gate."

Zach – without yet again any forethought of how his words affected people – says, "How much warning did you give people before you sniped them?"

Booth gives Zach his best glare and then jogs to catch up with his wife. Brennan looks up at Booth to see a smug smile on his face. She can't help but laugh a little and ask, "What?"

Booth looks down at her still smiling, "Told you it wasn't the Senator."

Brennan just smiles and shakes her head. "And I told you who it was, so we're even."

Booth brings up the fact of something he saw about his wife that morning. "Except we work on the same cases and you end up on the New York Times Best Sellers list."

Brennan is shocked to hear that, "I didn't know that!"

Booth smiles proudly at her, "Number Three, with a bullet."

Brennan smiles brightly at him. "That's good, right? The New York Times with a bullet…"

Booth slightly pushes her with his shoulder. "It means you're rich, call your accountant."

Brennan just laughs at that, "You know I don't have an accountant."

Booth smiles at her again, "Well, we should get one then." He then winks at her.

Brennan looks up at him expectantly, "Okay, how does that work?"

He just rolls his eyes heavenward. "Ugh, you need to get out of the lab. You know: watch TV, turn on the radio, anything! Pick up the phone and…" However he opted out of finishing that sentence and turns around to watch the Eller's say goodbye to their daughter. With pride in his voice Booth tells his wife, "You know, if it weren't for you, those people would never have known what happened to their daughter. That's got to be worse than the truth."

Brennan smiles sadly, "I know exactly how the Eller's felt about Cleo. With my parents disappearance and nobody knowing what exactly happened to them." Booth discreetly squeezes her hand reassuringly.

Booth smiles at her warmly and says, "I know babe." Then taking in a deep breath he says, "You know, being a sniper I took, a lot of lives. What I'd like to do before I'm done is try and catch at least that many murderers."

Brennan smiles up at her husband and squeezes his hand right back, "I'd like to help you with that."

Booth smirks at his wife and shrugs his shoulders like he could care less, "Ehhhh…" Brennan just laughs and smacks his arms lightly. Booth really wants to show his gratitude for everything Brennan did for him these past few days. So he whispers in her ear, "Come let's go home. I still have to answer that question of yours." Brennan's eyes beam brilliantly at the idea of what was to come.

So begins their wonderfully, secretive, chaotic life together as partners.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones but I really wish I did**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – The Man in the S.U.V.**

Booth sees his wife in an instant within the chaotic scene around him, "Bones! Bones! Over here."

Brennan would never admit it, but she had been worried something had happened to her husband since the last time that they talked with each other. "Where have you been? You said you would meet us on the corner."

Booth places his hand on the small of her back and guides her to the scene while saying reassuringly, "There is a lot going on here in case you haven't noticed." As they approach the security Booth tells the man, "These girls they're with me Dr. Temperance Brennan and Angela Montenegro from the Jeffersonian."

The security guard still doesn't let them go, "I need ID."

Booth sighs and points at the papers in the man's hands, "Okay, check the RI5 list, homeland security. She's the forensic anthropologist."

The security guard looks through the list and sees their names, "They're clear."

Booth nods his head and again guides his wife and her best friend onto the scene, "Thanks. C'mon."

Angela picks up on an awful smell in the air, "God, what's that smell?"

Brennan – having dealt with this numerous times – says technically, "Burnt flesh. Are there a lot of injuries?"

Booth rattles off the list sadly, "Four known dead. Fifteen injured."

Angela can't stand the scene in front of her with all the bodies and the smells, "Oh my God."

Brennan begins to compartmentalize everything to keep focus, "Details, whatever you have."

Booth doesn't like this. "Not much. Witnesses said they saw a Middle Eastern man mid thirties pull up to the café and the car just blew. The vehicle is registered to a Hamid Masruk, head of the American-Arab friendship league."

Brennan is confused to why she's here now, since her husband already knows who the person is. "If you know who it is, why do you need me?"

Agent Gibson walks up to the group and answers that question, "Because we're hoping we're wrong. Masruk is a White House consultant for Arab relations. Had lunch with the President just last week."

Booth smiles at his wife's first encounter with this agent. "Remember Agent Gibson, Homeland Security." He then points to his wife and Angela for the agent. "Dr. Temperance Brennan. Angela Montenegro. If Masruk was involved in a terrorist attack it means we have a huge national security problem.

Agent Gibson is irritated, "Not to mention a very humiliated president. The press is already running with this."

Brennan always finds the facts, not what people want the facts to be. "If you think I'm going to alter my findings…"

Gibson shakes his head, "Look, not at all but maybe it's not Masruk. We need to be sure. Booth says you're the best."

Brennan smiles at her husband intimately and says, "I need surgical gloves and masks for the retrieval team. Sterile medical bags and vegetable oil."

Booth knows why she needs the first part but… "Vegetable oil?"

Brennan nods and tries to explain, "The oil will loosen the seared body parts stuck to the metal. It's no different than steak on a grill that sticks."

He smiles at Brennan and her trying to put her thoughts in "English". "It's okay, I trust you."

Zach comes over to the group with her requested item and asks, "Should I photograph the scene?"

Brennan nods distractedly looking around at the scene, "Focus on a 30 meter radius from the blast."

Brennan points to a limb and asks her husband, "Okay to pick up?"

Booth nods his head, but he wants to make sure she's okay first. "You know, it's okay to be upset."

Brennan smiles sorrowfully, "I wish this is the worst thing I'd seen."

Booth discretely whispers in her ear while rubbing her elbow comfortingly, "I know."

Angela – unaware of what was going on between Booth and Brennan – hands over the retrieval bags to Booth and confesses, "You know…uh… I don't think I can…Sorry."

Brennan can see the uneasiness in Booth's eyes, "Well, if you can't either…"

Booth quickly shakes off the uneasiness and tries to use his sniper training, "No, I'm cool."

Brennan smiles softly at her husband one last time before they begin what would for sure be one hellish of a case. "Zach, I need two more evidence bags."

~BONES~

Brennan was in the lab with the remains and evidence found on the scene, giving out orders, "Take samples from the clothes. See whatever you can find. Traces of cologne, laundry detergent, anything that we can link to Masruk's home."

Hodgins comes up and says, "I will grab any particulates that I can identify the type of bomb."

Zach is confused now, "Isn't that the FBI's job?"

Hodgins – ever the conspiratorial theorist – says, "What you trust the FBI? You realize those guys are going to suppress whatever they need to cover their asses."

Zach ignores Hodgins ridiculous theories and says, "I found a portion of the clavicle."

Hodgins looks offended, "Are you even listening?"

Zach simply tells him the truth. "No."

Still Hodgins continues on with his ramblings, "They have a separate division you know that way their hands are always clean. In 1970…"

Brennan doesn't like the way that Hodgins is talking about the FBI, especially since her man is one himself – however irrational that sounds. "Jack! We're trying to work."

Booth comes up to the platform to see his wife agitated at Hodgins and wonders why. That is until he hears Hodgins say, "Someone seems really defensive about the FBI lately. You realize Booth is just another Government stooge."

Brennan looks directly at Booth while saying, "This has nothing to do with Booth." Even though her eyes are saying a completely different story.

Booth uses the element of surprise says, "You know I don't enjoy having squints on my team anymore then you like me on yours but you know we're supposed to be working together. Okay?"

Hodgins slightly jumps that almost goes unnoticed and says to play it off, "Sure. So what do we do, group hug?"

Booth ignores that and motions to Agent Gibson. "Agent Gibson here will be over seeing things for Homeland Security."

Gibson tries to offer a peace offering of some sorts. "I'll try not to be in the way."

Brennan doesn't want to work with anyone else but her husband. She does not like this one bit. "No, uh …we don't need to be overseen."

Booth sighs inwardly and says, "That's really not your call Bones. Okay how soon can we get the DNA match?"

Brennan sees that she lost this battle starts right into the facts, "That'll take days. I can get a match much sooner then that I have all we need."

Gibson asks in disbelief, "You're going to be able to ID him from that?"

Zach points out the obvious idiotic question, "Asking stuff like that is in the way."

Brennan beings to walk away from the group saying, "Remove any flesh and particulates you can and then macerate him." She turns toward Gibson, "If that's alright with you?" Booth follows his wife to go into her office.

As they are walking Brennan states her aggravation, "This is my lab. I'm a scientist. A doctor."

Booth chuckles and looks around to make sure that they're alone and not being watched. He then brings his hand to her hip and caresses it softly, "Yeah, so I've heard."

Brennan leans into Booth a little more and says, "Look, would you be able to do your job if someone is looking over your shoulder all the time."

Booth tries to reason with his somewhat stubborn wife, "You do, okay I've developed a tolerance."

Brennan smirks at what her husband just said. "I'm sorry but I don't understand the advantage of compromise."

Booth is trying to keep his temper in check, "It's a terrorist attack babe. It's bigger than you and it's bigger than me."

Brennan again tries to point out the facts though. "The job is the same."

Booth sighs. She just doesn't get it. "No, it's not. We're dealing with someone here who devalues an entire culture. Terrorizing people by using God to justify mass murder."

Brennan looks directly into her husband's eyes and sees the pain. "You're making it personal. That doesn't help."

Booth stares straight back into hers trying to explain how he feels. "It is personal Brennan. All of us die a little bit on one like this."

~BONES~

Angela walks into Brennan's office, stopping at the door. Noticing all the pictures from the case scattered on the floor she says, "Hard at work? There's a shocker."

Brennan sighs. She has just come from talking with the victims wife. "I just saw his wife. She gave me his medical records…photographs. Apparently he was ill. They were testing for Lupus which would explain the face. It must have been painful."

Angela comes over to Brennan and stands by the couch. "Look I … I know that you needed help out there. At the crime scene and I wanted to but…"

Brennan stands up and sits down on the couch. "It's okay. You see it. I don't anymore. I don't know what's worse."

Angela joins Brennan on the couch and asks, genuinely concerned, "You holding up okay?"

Brennan nods slightly – thinking of how her husband has been a great support system for her. "His wife doesn't believe it was him. I've got to give her an ID."

Angela places her hand on top of Brennan's. "Whatever I can do."

Brennan nods and gratefully smiles at her. "Yeah, I know."

Angela goes on to a different topic now. "And about this weekend…"

Brennan sighs yet again. She really hates lying to her best friend. "Angela I don't know."

Angela just won't give up on this. "Oh come on."

Brennan shakes her head this time. "I don't know."

Angela then tries to persuade her friend with the facts. "Brennan I know this great club, they play Trip Hop and Trance."

Brennan scrunches her face a little. "I don't know what that means."

Angela waves her hand dismissively and says with a smile, "It doesn't matter. We'll grab Booth."

Brennan adamantly states – maybe a little too fast – "No."

Angela smiles at her friend's fast response. There was something there for sure. "I think he likes you. God if I were you, I'd buy a ticket on that ride."

Brennan tries to get herself out of this one again by pointing to a box full of bones. "Look, I'm going to be very busy this weekend even after the ID, I have these."

Angela looks unimpressed. "Remains from World War I."

Brennan explains rationally, "That's what the institution pays me for. I've got hundreds of these waiting."

Angela sighs dramatically at her friend's antics. "And they can't wait one more weekend?"

Brennan won't give in. "They've got relatives. They've waited long enough."

Angela smiles sadly at Brennan thinking that she needs to get out more and find a man. "You know it's not that scary Brennan. You have a few drinks. You move to the music. You might even smile."

~BONES~

Brennan unlocks the door to their apartment to find Booth walking out of their bedroom buttoning up his shirt. She pouts slightly at this – she really wanted to spend just a little time with her husband today.

Booth looks up at the sound of the door opening to find his wife pouting. "Hey babe. What's wrong?" When she doesn't respond he asks, "Bones?"

Brennan snaps out of her little day dream she was having and says, "Yeah."

Booth smiles at his wife's face. He knew that face. "What's up?"

Brennan can see that there really was no time for a little fun now any ways, hands over the file right away, "It's him. Masruk is the bomber."

Booth sighs as he finishes buttoning his shirt. "I guess the wife didn't know the husband very well."

Brennan hears the sound of heels tapping on the floor and has an irrational spurt of anger and jealousy – even though she knows her husband would never cheat on her. However once Tessa enters the room her jealousy is put at bay. "Hello Tessa, how are you?"

Tessa smiles warmly at her friend. "I'm fine, thank you Temperance. Actually Seeley called me up asking for a favor that I owe him." Brennan looks at her husband in confusion until he clarifies.

"Babe, the thing is, I think that your squints are really trying to push us together, especially Angela. So I thought, maybe if they thought I had a girlfriend they would lay off just a little. You know. And also this way it'll help us with our secret. I mean after the way Cullen made sure I knew during our first case, that I couldn't even work with you if we were seeing each other before it, this way it looks more like we're not. Right?" Booth hoped he just made sense right now. Because his head was actually starting to hurt from that explanation.

Brennan thought that over for a few seconds and then nodded her head in agreement. "That is an excellent idea Booth. This will definitely make the others think that there is no possible way for us to be together since you are in a "committed" relationship." Brennan came up to her husband and kissed him on his lips softly.

Booth smiled broadly. "Well okay then." Pretending to introduce them to each other. "Tessa, this is Brennan. Tessa Jankow, Dr. Temperance Brennan. "

Tessa smiled and rolled her eyes at her two friends. What they did for love. "Oh, hi. I've heard a lot about you."

Brennan looked at the two of them confused. "What are you doing?"

Booth smiled warmly, "We're getting into character. You know, acting.

Brennan still confused started to say, "But we're the only ones here…" Then upon seeing her husband's face says, "Oh, we're practicing. I get."

Booth nods and continues with the "introductions". "Tessa's an attorney."

Tessa grins at that, "Mm, corporate, keeping the fat cats fat."

Brennan being her regular literal self says, "I was just studying a cranial fissure on a corporate attorney last week. Of course he was dead so…"

Tessa nods her head. "Interesting."

Brennan smiles lightly, "Thanks."

Booth shakes his head at his wife and guides her toward the door. "Well I was just heading to the Bureau. Santana called and said something about a bombing and I thought you were at the lab. I was gonna go pick you up but since you're here. Let's head on out."

Brennan nods her head. "Sure."

Booth turns to Tessa and says, "Thanks for doing this for us. Make yourself at home, we'll see you later."

Tessa smiles and waves goodbye to her favorite couple. Man, she wishes that her and her boyfriend would turn out like them – that is love-wise. Tessa chuckles softly at that thought.

~BONES~

As the couple walks into Booth's office he notices to his wife is chuckling. "Okay, what is so funny?"

Brennan keeps on chuckling, "I just never figured you'd actually be the one to suggest one of us pretending to be in a relationship."

Booth looks back at her as he sits down at his desk. "Why, do you think something's wrong with me?"

Brennan smiles softly at him, "Not wrong. You just have alpha male attributes usually associated with claiming ownership of your property."

Booth is shocked for two reasons. One, his wife just called herself property and two, she sounded proud of that fact. "Temperance Brennan-Booth, are you happy to have an alpha male as your husband?"

Brennan smirks at her husband, "Maybe I am but we weren't talking about me."

Booth smile widens. "Well I was and I could just kiss you right now."

Brennan's smirk turns seductive, "Well I wasn't and I would love to do more than just kiss you right now. I would love to…" She then licks her lips seductively.

Booth groans loudly feeling himself already reacting to his wife's words, "Bones, you are going to be the death of me my beautiful wi…"

However Booth was abruptly interrupted by Santana coming into his office. "Booth."

Booth slides in a little bit more under his desk. He tries to keep an even voice when he answers, "Yeah?"

Santana goes on without noticing the slight tension in the room, "You got that ID?"

Booth nods and is thankful – for once – of the images of the mornings scenes. "Yeah it was Masruk."

Santana sighs, "Oh, that's too bad."

Brennan looks back at Santana confused. "He killed four people and injured another fifteen."

Santana hands a file to Booth across from his desk, "The report came back from ballistics. Now the explosives were placed under the car with the trigger connected to the odometer. Masruk was murdered."

Brennan gladly takes the offered folder from Booth and looks down at the newest findings. "So Masruk wasn't a terrorist."

Booth couldn't believe it. "Somebody tried to make him look like one. Any leads on who did it?"

Santana's smirk told Booth he wasn't going to like what he was about to say, "That's why we're paying you Booth."

~BONES~

After interrogating the victim's wife again the couple walks into Wong Foo's for something to eat. Booth almost yells at his wife as they sit down at the bar, "She was having an affair!"

Brennan takes the seat beside him and says, "I'm sorry but that's an offensive assumption!"

Booth sighs. "Well all the signs are there."

Brennan still doesn't know how her husband can do is job like this. "You can't make wild accusations about somebody's personal life based on a feeling."

Booth tries to reason with the woman beside him. "It's more than a feeling. Okay, that photograph is evidence just as solid as the markers you squints pick up looking at your little bones."

Brennan still doesn't get it. "The evidence that I find isn't empirical. What you consider evidence is merely conjecture."

Booth points out the evidence for his idea. "She dyed her hair. She lost weight. You know she shoved a little Botox in her forehead. She's still feeling guilty over the last fight she had with her husband."

Brennan makes a sound of frustration. "Ugh! You are an insufferable…arrogant….man!"

Booth smirks at his wife's response. "Oh! So only a woman could know a woman. I thought woman wanted us to understand them."

Angela comes up behind the two and sits on the other side of Booth. "Not really. A magician never wants to reveal her tricks…"

Booth looks at Angela, surprised to see her here. "We're having a private conversation."

Angela holds up her hands, "I'm not here."

Brennan seeing an opportunity to bring up Tessa in front of their biggest obstacle says, "So you think you know women just because you live with some sexy lawyer? Unbelievable."

Booth at first doesn't know what she's talking about, but then remembers that Angela was listening. So he decides to put on a show and scoffs at his wife.

Angela jumps in at that. "You live with a sexy lawyer?"

Booth clarifies slightly of what he talked about with Tessa, "She has her own place okay."

Brennan then brings up why she "decided" to bring that point up about Booth. "He thinks just because Masruk's wife started working out and had a little make over, that she was having an affair."

Angela ponders that thought, "Hmm, and how long were they married?"

Booth smirks at what he knows the artist will say, "Eleven years."

Angela looks at Brennan and directs with finger to Booth. "I'm with him."

Brennan can't believe that her friend thinks that the wife was cheating as well. "There is no concrete proof!"

Angela asks the obvious, "Boobs perkier?"

Booth simply replies from his observations, "Mm Hmm."

Brennan can't fathom this. "I don't believe this if you're so sure then why didn't you confront her."

Angela tries to explain it to her friend. "Because if she or her boyfriend were involved, she would warn him."

Booth smiles at Angela, "Very good."

Angela smirks at Booth and replies, "I'm a constant surprise."

Brennan – having enough of the conjectures – gets up from the bar. "Alright. Great. I will be in the lab getting us some real data."

Booth just sighs as Angela asks more about his 'girlfriend'. "So, how many nights a week does "sexy" sleep over?"

Booth shakes his head. "Ha, ha, ha."

~BONES~

At the lab, Angela can't help but gossip about the newest news. "Apparently, they live together a few days a week, but he was very clear that she has her own place."

Zach doesn't feel good about this newest subject of conversation. "Should you be intruding into their lives like this?"

Angela reassures him, "Oh yeah. Absolutely."

Hodgins isn't really paying much attention to this conversation. "We're negative for Lupus and Paget's. When you're done, I will do a scraping for environmental contaminates."

Zach hands a Petri dish of particulate to Hodgins. "I found these. Shiny flakes that caught onto the torn patches of bone."

Angela goes on like nothing is interrupting her. "Bottom line, I still think Brennan has a shot with Booth."

Hodgins can't help but point out. "But she says she's not interested."

Angela smirks and says almost sing-songy, "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

Zach definitely doesn't like this. "Maybe she protested just enough."

Angela rolls her eyes. "Puh-lease. She's been sleeping alone for months." Then under her breath – remembering that one moment on the phone – says, "That we know of." And then more audible, "She has enough pent up sexual energy to power a small mid-western city."

Hodgins is looking at the particulates and says, "This looks like gypsum. That wouldn't cause any organic damage. It's probably used to insulate the explosives, bet the FBI doesn't know that yet."

Angela finally coming to her own conclusion says, "I'm gonna go check out this girlfriend."

~BONES~

Booth can't believe his lead suspect just got away like that. He honks his horn rather angrily. "C'mon!"

Brennan asks calmly, "You want me to drive? "

Booth looks at his wife like she's crazy. "No. Why?"

Brennan points at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're angry."

Booth laughs at that idea. "I'm not angry."

Brennan just shakes her head. "Yeah, you're furious. You're going to kill somebody."

Booth breaths out of his nose slowly. "I'm not angry. Believe me, you do not want to see me angry. That's the last thing you want to see."

Brennan just rolls her eyes, knowing her husband was angry. "Okay."

Booth explains slowly and more calmly, "This is me accepting reality."

Brennan shrugs her shoulders, letting the subject go. "Okay, my mistake."

Booth tries to explain even more so. "My superiors, they make the decisions, Bones. Alright. If they don't think them through that's really not my problem."

Brennan tries to reason with him. "If I were you, I'd be mad. Homeland Security is preventing you from doing a proper investigation of a murder case."

Booth sighs audibly, "I'm a grownup. I'll deal. You know that thing where you ask for the strength to change the things that you can and the wisdom to know the difference?"

Brennan looks at him with a blank stare, "Not really."

Booth looks back at the road and says, "Well it's a good thing."

Brennan tries to clarify, "Do you ask God?"

Booth looks at her for a brief second, "For what?"

Brennan expounds, "For the strength and the wisdom?"

Booth smiles a little at his wife's understanding, "Yeah, I ask God."

Brennan nods slightly at her husband. "I still don't understand how you can believe in God."

Booth sighs heavily, "Can we talk about something else?"

Brennan smiles brightly, "Sure. I bought a little something that I think you will definitely like." She then brings her hand to his thigh and squeezes gently in a very seductive way that has Booth already dying to get home to see it.

Booth raises his eyebrow. "Oh really." He can feel himself reacting all over again at the images his mind is conjuring. He smirks a little until his wife brings her hand all the way up his thigh and presses her hand against his slight arousal which brings it to a full on hard on. He swerves into the next lane surprised and hears several cars honking at him. "Christ, Bones!"

Brennan looks at him innocently. "What? I'm sorry. I thought that you would like to get some of your tension out of your system."

Booth gripped the steering wheel tightly until his knuckles turned white. "I prefer if we, right now – while I'm driving – would just stay on point and talk about things that you like to talk about like dead people. Dead bodies?"

Brennan smiles even more seductively at her husband, "But I don't want to talk about dead bodies. I want to pleasure my husband."

With that, Booth swerved the SUV into a deserted parking lot in a secluded area. Without any warning Booth jumped out of the door and swung open his wife's door. With as much pent up passion and frustration he had, he focused it into his kiss. Before he knew it his wife had her legs wrapped around his waist and he was pushing his arousal against her causing her to moan loudly in his mouth. Booth swung open the back door to his SUV and laid his wife on the back seat.

Brennan had already undone Booth's belt buckle and his zipper was undone. In between rough kisses Brennan hoarsely said, "Booth…I…need…you…in…me." Without need for further invitation Booth hiked up his wife's skirt and had wildly, hot, tension-relieving sex in the back of his SUV. After several minutes of regaining their breath, Brennan brought up her hand and ran it through her husband's hair and said softly and reassuringly, "We'll find out who killed him, Booth. We've got Hamid's body. You can always count on the dead."

~BONES~

Angela joined the group on the platform after talking with a rather sexy lawyer. "There is trouble in paradise."

Brennan looked at Angela, "I beg your pardon?"

Angela looked directly into Brennan's eyes. She saw that there was something different about her. A certain after the glow sex-vide was coming off of her. "Tessa does not feel secure in that relationship. I think she's threatened by you."

Brennan looked at her in shock, "You talked to her."

Angela explained her theory, "She didn't say much but even though she has a phenomenal figure she was chowing down on a fat-free muffin and she was reading a book about unsolved FBI cases. Ugh, she's obviously feeling insecure."

Hodgins didn't believe this. He turned to Brennan, "She's spying for you?"

Brennan couldn't believe the mess she was now in. "No! No!"

Zach brought his own thoughts into the mix. "Even if you have nothing in common it's difficult to sublimate intense sexual attraction and we hear it's been awhile."

Brennan definitely couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, Stop!"

Angela tried to reason with her friend. "He is there for the taking, honey."

Booth walked up to the group and began to say, "Okay, I couldn't get his medical records." He then noticed everyone was looking at him weirdly, "What?"

Brennan giving him a very distinct look said, "Oh nothing."

~BONES~

Later is the day Brennan came up to Angela and said, "We're going to have to run a simulation. I need you to input this skull and give me a face."

Angela nodded her head and said, "You've got it."

Brennan stopped Angela before she could go into her office. "And no more talk about Booth. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

Angela smiled at her. "That's what friends are for."

Brennan gave her a pleading look and hoped it would work. "Please, Angela."

~BONES~

After finding out the date of exposure, the couple decided to pay a little visit to Mr. Ladjavardi. As Booth and Brennan got out of the SUV, Booth took off his tie. Brennan asked her husband, "I thought you were told to stay away from him?"

Booth smiled smugly at his wife. "Yeah and as an FBI agent I cannot disobey my superior but you're not an FBI agent."

Brennan finally saw where her husband was going with this and smiled brightly that she could finally get in on some of the action. "Hey! Hi! How ya doing?"

Ladjavardi turned around and was pissed off to see who was talking to him. "What the hell are you doing here? You had orders."

Brennan pointed to herself and smiled slightly. "No. Not me. I just have a couple of quick questions for you."

Ladjavardi sighed, "Look, I'm not involved in this. Sahar won't even talk to me anymore."

Brennan looked back at Booth and smirked, "Yeah, I wonder why?"

Ladjavardi pulled out his cell phone and stated annoyingly, "I'm calling Santana."

Brennan looked at him and just stated, "Yeah, I don't think so."

Ladjavardi looked at Brennan unfazed, "I'm warning you."

Booth interjected for at least some warning, "I wouldn't threaten her if I were you."

Brennan tried to reason with the man. "Look, I just want to know where you were in June, first week, to see if you poisoned Hamid and Farid."

Booth looked at his wife and whispered, "Subtle, babe."

Ladjavardi looked between the two partners and makes up his mind. "I'm leaving, that's it." He tries to push Brennan out of his way but she swings her arm around and grabs his arm. Using her martial arts training, she flips him over one the sidewalk onto his back flat on the cement. To keep him from moving she puts her foot on his throat.

Booth looks down at Ladjavardi and says, "Told ya. She doesn't like to be touched."

Ladjavardi strangles out, "I didn't poison anybody."

Brennan pushes down just a little bit harder to get him to talk. "Then tell me where you were in June."

Ladjavardi knowing what's best for him, hurriedly tells her. "In Utah for training with Homeland Security. I didn't get to DC until August 12th. Check with the department."

Brennan releases her foot, smiles, and nods her head. "Alright, thanks."

~BONES~

In the SUV Booth decides to bounce ideas off his wife. "How about this? Sahar wants out of the marriage. Hamid refuses so Sahar poisons him so that she can run off with Ladjavardi."

Brennan shakes her head. "Doesn't make sense."

Booth points out this fact though, "When someone dies the first suspect is the spouse."

Brennan still doesn't believe it. "Well what about Hamid's brother? Did she poison him too?"

Booth is trying to work out all of these kinks. "Why not? You know he's pushing his nose into the marriage. I mean suddenly Sahar is facing, you know, a devote Muslim and a fundamentalist Christian and you know and nobody allows divorce and she's pushed to murder."

Brennan shakes her head again. "That's eschewed logic."

Booth sighs, not really believing this scenario either. "Ah, C'mon babe. Just work with me here. Alright. It's what we in the law enforcement call positing a scenario. Don't use the word eschewed."

Brennan tries to make a point. "What if you and I were – hypothetically of course – going to break up and you didn't want to?

Booth gave her a sidelong look. "Interesting Bones."

Brennan shrugs her shoulders. "Well I'm positing a scenario. Say I want to break up and you don't want to so I poison you."

Booth just shakes his head. "No, no, no."

Brennan then points out the obvious flaw in this scenario. "And then just to make sure, I blow you up with a bomb."

Booth now was fully looking at her for a good five seconds when he focus' on the road and asks, "Why would you do that?"

Brennan smiles at him, proud to make her point. "Exactly. Thank you."

Booth points this out though. "See 'cause you and me, that's a bad example."

Brennan smiles at him and pats his thigh lightly, "Well we're a couple in love, right?"

Booth sighs. "Yes, but why bring up us as a couple? We're solid. There is no reason to kill each other."

Brennan shrugs nonchalantly. "We were talking about couples. It's a natural segue."

Booth shakes his head at his wife's logic. "Alright, you know, you have to quit using the word segue and eschew. They sound French."

Brennan smirks at him slightly, "You keep changing the subject. I get it. You don't want to admit you're wrong."

Booth just shakes his head and laughs softly. "You keep thinking that babe."

Brennan just patted Booth's leg again when her phone rang. "Brennan." Brennan listened to what Zach was saying and told him to hang on a second when she covered the mouth piece and spoke to her husband, "The bomb was made in Woodley Park."

Booth couldn't believe it! "That's where Farid lives. Hold on." Booth made a fast U-turn. "No wonder we couldn't get his medicals. He already knew what was poisoning him. Alright, just stay in contact with your boys and tell them we're going to need them. Alright, Listen Bren, we're heading into a very unknown situation. I think it's best if you just stay in the car." She just glares at him. "Okay, then. You know, if you have to come in with me you just stay behind me." Same glare is situated on him. "Fine, just be careful, alright."

~BONES~

After finding out the Farid made another bomb and that it was out there, the couple was both on the cell phones trying to pinpoint the location of the bomber. Finally Angela found the location. Brennan looked at her husband and stated, "Peace Conference. Hamilton Cultural Center."

Booth nodded his head, still on his phone. "That's…"

Finishing the sentence for him, Brennan said, "That's it."

Booth's gut was yelling at him this was it. "That's gotta be it." Now talking on his phone he said, "Okay Gibson, just get your boys over to the Hamilton Cultural Center and just keep them back when you get there. You understand me? If you spook this guy he will blow himself up before we can take him out. Fine, bye."

Brennan gives Angela her thanks and hangs up. Booth looks at his wife and says concerned for her life, "You know, you don't have to come."

Brennan just gives him one look, "You have got to be kidding me."

~BONES~

As they made their way up to the top floor Brennan asks her husband, "If you see him will you shoot?"

Booth hates this part of his job so he tries to reason, "Well, he might not have the bomb."

Brennan looks at him sympathetically, "You don't believe that."

Booth really, really hates this part. "I'm not taking out a target Bren unless I'm sure."

Brennan grabs her husband's hand quickly and shortly but gives it a reassuring squeeze. After a failed attempt at first, Brennan is sure she spots Farid. " There! That's Farid."

Booth looks down to where his wife is pointing. His gun is ready to kill, but he really doesn't want to do this. "I'm not sure."

Brennan grabs his upper arm and reasons with him. "Look his walk is labored from the dioxin poisoning and the parietal bones in his skull match his picture."

Booth shakes his head. He knows his wife is the best, but even the best can be wrong sometimes and he doesn't want to risk this. "It's dexterous. What if you're wrong?"

Brennan squeezes his arm and looks straight into his eyes. "This is what I do Booth. Do you really want to wait? He's carrying something heavy in his camera bag, see the extra weight is causing his shoulder to…"

Booth shakes his head, even though his gun is raising a little bit higher by each second. "No, I can't!"

Brennan knows this is hard for him, but she knows this is their man. "He has all the markers, Booth."

Booth looks in her eyes for a brief second. "I need a face." He then looks back, "I need a face."

Brennan finally realizes that what he needs she can give him so she shouts out, "Farid!"

Farid turns around and looks straight up at them. Booth raises his gun and aims, while yelling, "On the ground!"However Farid reaches into his camera bag and starts to pull something out.

Brennan tells her husband almost frantically, "He's going for the bomb."

Booth aims once more and fires his weapon. The built lands itself straight into Farid's skull. A perfect kill shot. Agent Gibson comes over and opens Farid's hand to reveal the detonator and then he looks into the camera bag to reveal the bomb. Gibson looks up at Booth and nods his head, telling him they got the right guy.

~BONES~

After this long case the couple wound up at Wong Foo's again. Booth informs his wife of his news, "You know I told them to tell the press is was an undercover operation."

Brennan looked shocked at this. "But it would be a rose garden ceremony. That's an honor, right? I thought all of you FBI guys loved your medals?"

Booth looks down at his drink in front of him and shakes his head. "There's no pleasure in taking someone's life, babe. Nothing to celebrate."

Brennan smiles sadly at him. She reaches out and grabs his forearm and squeezes it gently. "You saved so many people, Booth. Don't forget that."

Booth looks up at his wife and smiles genuinely at her in thanks. "You want to get another drink?"

Brennan shakes her head and stands up. "No, not this time because see, I still have to show you what I got." With that Booth threw down a wad of cash that Sid could take and allows his wife to guide him out of their restaurant. God, he loved this woman.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – A Boy in the Tree**

Booth and Brennan had decided for once to go to work in the same car, which meant taking Booth's SUV. So here they were sitting in the car waiting for Zach to come out. Booth is getting impatient, "Bones, Where's the kid?"

Brennan just shrugs her shoulders and looks out the window toward the lab. "I don't know what's taking him so long."

Booth decides to take advantage of the fact that these two were alone for once while on the job. "I think Angela is going to be our biggest problem here. She's not like you squints, she goes with her gut like me and she's usually not wrong."

Brennan nods her head. "Yeah, I was thinking that I might need to be even more condescending toward you now. You know to throw her off the road."

Booth chuckles softly and pats his wife's leg, "It's throw her off the path, babe. And I think you're right. But not just in front of her, in front of everyone. I don't like the idea of us not working together. I need to know you're safe and I can only know that if I'm with you."

Brennan looks out her window to make sure no one is there and then leans in and kisses her husband's cheek, "I'm glad to hear that you care about me." Booth just smiles at his wife and continues to wait for her assistant.

~BONES~

When Zach finally came to the waiting SUV Booth gets straight to business. "We got a dead body at a prep school out in the sticks."

Brennan sees this as the perfect opportunity to 1. Let Zach know that they didn't come together and 2. To make it look like she doesn't like working with Booth. "Good morning to you too."

Zach of course is truly oblivious to what Brennan is trying to do and he just leans forward and asks Booth, " You're successful with woman, right? I mean they like you?"

Booth looks at Zach for a second, really trying to figure out what this kid was talking about. He then glances at his wife and tries to see what she meant by her earlier comment. "Okay, look, it's a very prestigious prep school with a lot of rich kids."

Brennan tries even harder to let Zach see her 'true' feelings for this assignment. "I thought that it was good to start with 'Good Morning'."

Zach is still leaning forward and asks something that blows Booth for a loop hole, "If a woman said, to you, take a hint, what would that mean?"

Booth can't take it anymore. "Could we just concentrate on the job?" He sees that Zach has finally given up on his questionings and he finally gets what his wife is doing. "Thank you. Now, I know the sheriff out there. She's mostly okay but the school got a lot of pull with the county and she's probably trying to scrape the whole case off on us. Look, what I'm trying to say is… it's not just a crime scene but it's a political situation, so when we get out there you follow my lead and you pay attention."

Zach still insists on his line of questioning though. "You call after every sexual encounter, right? Because that's the good thing to do."

Booth sighs audibly. Sometimes this kid just got on his nerves. "Look, this is a work mode. This is a work zone. Do not talk sex at work."

Brennan is now all in with her efforts to dissuade her friends and colleagues of her position with this job. "First, you tell me I'm too task oriented. Then when I say 'Good Morning', you say that I should concentrate on the job."

Booth loves seeing his wife work her magic and he loves playing the part. "All right, look, we've got about a forty-five minute drive. What do you say we pass it in quiet meditation?" He loves having a secret life sometimes.

The car group is finally pulling into the school grounds. Zach asks, "Can I talk now?"

Booth doesn't even want to know what this kid wants to talk about, "No."

Brennan looks at Booth in 'disbelief' and states, "That's not fair." She then turns to her assistant, "Okay, we're here now."

Booth tries to make a point though. "My car. My rules. Period."

~BONES~

As the group is being lead to the crime scene Karen tries to make small talk with Brennan. "I don't know if you remember me but we worked together on a case? Bunch of bones found in a culvert about a year ago?"

Brennan isn't really paying attention to what the Sheriff has to say and absentmindedly states, "I remember the bones in the culvert."

Booth comes up to his wife and suggests something of importance that he hopes she'll take in and try to use. "You know Bones, being nice to the locals by remembering their names and such wouldn't hurt."

The Headmaster tries to move along this investigation as fast as possible. "Our two week term break ends tomorrow; I'd like to get this tidied up so the students never know what happened."

Brennan – being the ever rationalist out there – simply replies, "Well, we don't know what happened yet that's why I'm here. Did anyone touch the body?"

Karen shakes her head in a negative. "I doubt it. It's pretty grisly."

Sanders walks up to Booth and asks, "Nothing on small talk, is she?"

Booth smiles inwardly thinking of what they did last night. "Dr. Brennan is very focused."

As they come up to the crime scene Brennan asks the obvious question, "Where are the remains?"

Booth looks up in the tree and points up while saying, "Bones. Is that a student?"

Sanders tries to stop that line of questioning. "Ah, it's a secure campus. It's got to be a student, staff, or faculty."

Brennan continues to look at the remains and tells Zach, "Video first. I don't want your flash disturbing the crows."

Sanders smartly states, "Yeah that would be a shame. Disturb the human flesh eating birds."

Booth asks Brennan, "You want to increase the perimeter here?" When she slightly nods her head in an affirmative he turns toward the two men. "Gentleman, give my forensic anthropologist some room."

Brennan turns toward Booth at his words, inwardly liking them. "Your forensic anthropologist?" Booth gives her his charming smile and she can see the twinkle in his eyes showing his love for her.

~BONES~

Booth had rushed to the lab to see what exactly his wife meant on the phone when he was with the Headmaster. "What do you mean it's not a suicide?" He starts to leap up the steps on the platform and then an alarm goes off loudly. "What the hell is that?"

Brennan sees another chance to fool her colleagues. "We can't just let anyone step into the forensics area and contaminate all the boring details."

Booth sees that Zach swipes his own card and the alarms go off. The kid then pushes Booth aside. He's confused by his wife's words. He knows she knows what he meant by what he said when he was with the Headmaster, so why was she… "The boring details?" He then points his finger at Zach, "Do not push me kid." Yet Booth needs to know that his wife knows he loves what she does, 'boring details' and all. "'The boring details' was my signal for you to stop talking, okay?" Booth then realized something that he needed (more like wanted). " I want my own card."

Brennan looks at her husband and smiles inwardly. "Well, I want my own gun."

Booth shakes his head amused. This had been an ongoing 'debate' with the two of them. "Last time you had a gun you shot someone."

Zach jumps in on the conversation, "He was a bad guy."

Booth just stares at the two now. He was not going to deal with this right at the moment. "Okay, look, who's our victim?"

Brennan smirks at her husband. She really does like to play with him. "All the boring details?"

Booth finally sees – again a little slowly – what Bren was doing. "Let it go Bones, move on."

Brennan almost shouted – for show of course, "Don't call me Bones!" She thought briefly that she could do this all day with her alpha male of a husband and then some more 'recreational' things as well. But right now she had to explain why this might not be a suicide to her partner.

~BONES~

After meeting at the Bureau and Brennan saying that this was in fact a homicide even though she didn't know that for certain, the duo is now in the SUV driving. Booth looks toward his wife and takes her hand and gently kisses her knuckles. "Thank you."

Brennan smiles at her husband but doesn't understand why he thanked her. "For what?"

Booth brings their intertwined fingers in his lap and gently caresses hers. "For going with my instincts in there."

Brennan shakes her head slightly. "I did not back up your instincts. I bought time to find the facts I need to tell me what happened to Nestor Olivos. Although I do trust your instincts. What's with you and the private school anyways?"

Booth looked at his wife for a second and then just told her in an even voice, "I don't…I don't like people who think they're better than other people."

Brennan tries to help him see the truth of the matter though. "Some people are better than other people. Some people are just smarter than others there's no use being offended by the fact Booth. That doesn't mean though that we should be treated differently. I agree with you on that." She smiles at him warmly and goes back to the case. "What are we going to tell Nestor's parents?"

Booth thinks for a second. "We tell them that their son was found dead. We're looking into it. Sorry for your loss and we are."

Brennan looks at her husband confused. "What?"

Booth squeezes her hand slightly. "Sorry for their loss. It's sad." He then says gently, "Try to remember that."

Brennan looks at him mad at his insinuation. "Uh, I'm not a sociopath."

Booth flashes his charm smile and chuckles. "You're bad with people, okay. No use being offended by the fact."

~BONES~

The couple walks into Wong Foos and start to head to their usual table. Sid comes over to them as they enter though and says, "Hey, I'll say this…I haven't seen you guys in a while."

Booth smiles at his old friend. One of the few who know this couples secret. "Sorry Sid, we've been loaded down with cases. We barely made it here today."

Sid laughs at his friend's disgruntled look and slaps him on the back while saying, "Hey, the bone lady keeping you busy at work. I like that in a woman."

Brennan smiles at their old friend and shakes her head. "Sid, you couldn't handle me."

This makes Sid laugh even harder and Booth bring Brennan to mold to his side. After Sid got his laughter somewhat under control he motioned for the two to sit down. "I'll get your meal."

The two sit down at their normal seat. This was their one haven from their workplace. Here they didn't know anyone but the workers and no one knew them. It was great. So Booth and Brennan sat on the same side of the booth. Booth started to lean in to give his wife a kiss when he heard Zach say out of nowhere, "Nestor's bones are completely normal. Not brittle in any way." This too surprised Brennan. She really wanted to be alone with her husband right now.

Booth nearly jumped across the room from the near reveal of their relationship. He looked up and glared at the three squints that were sitting down. "You know this is kinda my little getaway place. You know?"

Angela looks at Brennan's flustered condition but continued Zach's thought process. "It proves the rope left in the branch where Nestor was hanging are too deep for his weight."

Booth sarcastically says, "Please everyone. You know come on just sit down."

Hodgins ignores the sarcasm and tells Brennan what he found. "Eggs, larva, waste all indicate that the insects which fed on the body are all indigenous to the tree in which he was found. It means he died there approximately ten to fourteen days ago." He then yells to whoever took the orders, "I'll have the seven organ soup."

Brennan says without thinking, "You don't order, Sid just brings it." When the two 'human' squints look at Brennan like she grew a second head, she quickly covered herself. "At least that's what Booth said."

Zach just continues on like normal, oblivious to what just almost happened. "He didn't void. Usually somebody hangs themselves the flood gates open, bodily fluids everywhere."

Hodgins looks at Zach for a second and then back at the two seated in front of them. "There was plenty of the affluent in his clothes but they are all post decomposition. As the body swells, it bursts from internal gases. How does the guy know what you want?"

Brennan shrugs her shoulders, "Sid has a knack."

Booth tries to cover for his wife this time. "I've known Sid since I moved to DC, he's good at what he does."

Zach yet again, stays with the case. "The birds ate his eyes, ears. They worked their way into the skull."

Hodgins doesn't really know a lot about the skeletal system asks. "Birds pecking at the soft tissue of the throat, could that crack the hyoid?"

Brennan shakes her head looking down at the photos in front of her. "No, it's a stress fracture caused by the rope against his throat not post mortem."

Angela sighs sadly. "You put a high sensitive adolescent in a high-pressure prep school add social alienation cultural differences pressure from high achieving parents…could be suicide."

Booth doesn't like that. He won't accept that. "It's not a suicide."

Brennan looked at the group to explain. "Because Booth thinks that prep schools turn out entitled criminals."

Hodgins points to all the squints. "We all went to private schools and none of us are criminals."

Zach nods his head. "In fact we fight criminals. We're crime fighters."

Booth looks Zach straight in the eyes. "No you're not. You're…I'm just saying it's not a suicide."

Angela smiles at Booth's response. "I'm a big believer in instinct."

Booth smiles for once since the squints came. "Finally, a squint with an open mind."

Angela's smile turns into something much more devious. "You have no idea of how open minded I can be."

Thankfully Sid came over with their food and saved Booth from everyone seeing his panicked look across his face. Angela was definitely going to be a problem. "What's with these pictures? This is a restaurant. People come here to eat. What's the matter with you people?" Sid started to gather all the pictures and push them in the manila folder. He knew that his friends worked with dead people, but he didn't need to see this and what was with the new entourage? "Booth, what the hell did you bring into my place?"

Booth lifts his hands in defense. "I had nothing to do with it."

Brennan looked down at her food, still amazed that Sid got her what she wanted each time. "This is exactly what I want. This is amazing. Sid you definitely have a knack."

Hodgins looks down to see his order is indeed in front of him. "Oh, so you do take orders?"

Sid glares at the man. "Of course we do but it's always better when you leave it to me. Booth?"

Booth tries to placate his friend. "Okay, I will take care of it. You're saying that the boy died like ten to fourteen days ago?"

Hodgins smells his soup and says, "Hey bugs buzz but they do not lie."

Brennan fills Booth in a little. "Hodgins is very good at using insects to ascertain a time of death."

Booth points a key point out though. "How do you explain an email that was sent 7 days ago from Nova Scotia? Hmm? See, look at that. It stinks. Go ahead, smell it. You know you wanna smell it. It stinks."

~BONES~

Booth is pissed off now. This whole case was just pissing him off exponentially. He hadn't been nice in that interrogation room, but he had good reasons. He could tell his wife was going to say something… Which of course she does do as they get out of the SUV. "So let me just get this right, I'm the tactless and insensitive one."

Booth really hated when his wife sounded right, which usually meant she was. Darn. "Okay, look. The girl lied to a Federal Agent during the investigation in the death of a boy that she said she loves. You know what? These kids, they all lie. That school teaches them that they're special, that they're above the rest of us. Well they're not."

Brennan shakes her head in disbelief. "You're the least objective person I have ever met."

Booth smiles slightly at that statement, knowing she didn't mean it as a compliment. "Thank you."

Brennan laughs a deep laugh at her husband's response. "It's not a compliment."

Booth looks at his wife with his 'puppy dog eyes' he knows she can't resist. "Aw, c'mon Bren, you know something is wrong here. Alright, the school, the tapes, now Sheriff Roach."

Brennan caves in – just a little though – so that doesn't count. "All this mess you're uncovering. It smells, yes but doesn't add up to murder…not logically."

Booth just wants his wife for once to use her heart instead of that beautiful brain of hers. "Maybe if you looked for more than the facts you would be able to see the bigger pic…"

Brennan interrupts her husband's rant in the middle. "Maybe if you opened your mind we could find out the actual truth."

As the two of them were arguing the Sheriff pulls up with the tapes and the two go back into 'partners' mode.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were in his office watching one of the tapes.

Brennan sat back a little and gave her husband this much. "You're right about the school… serving pudding."

Booth smiles at his wife's misstated phrase. "Stirring the pudding babe. It means…"

Brennan sees something that she wasn't expecting. "Melodee Destry, that's Camden's mother. Wait, is that…is that Nestor Olivos she's with?"

Booth looks at what his wife is pointing at more closely. "Nope, that's Nestor's roommate, Tucker Pattison."

~BONES~

Hodgins looks at the two standing in front of him and tells them what he found. "Tabanid pupil casing show the boy ingested a heavy dose of Ketamine before he died. Kids call it Special K."

Booth almost looks smug at this new information. He knew it wasn't suicide. "So somebody dosed him, right? That explains why he wasn't struggling before the hanging."

Brennan looks at her man in disbelief. Is he really being that closed minded? "Or wild thought? He took it himself for fun, like most kids do." Booth just looks at his wife not buying that for one second. However Hodgins decides at that moment to burp in front of his face.

Booth says disgustingly, "Dude, minty burp, still burp."

Hodgins glares at Booth. "Yeah well who took me to Wong Salmonella's?"

Booth throws up his hands in defeat for once. "Alright, you know what? Just go back to Sid. Let him bring you you're meal. Heartburn will disappear."

Brennan looks at the two in front of her and everything begins to fit. She yells all of a sudden, "Heartburn!"

Booth looks at his wife like she's finally lost her very rational mind. "What?"

Brennan explains her sudden outburst. "Hodgins has heartburn because stomach acid is rising into his esophagus. The Ketamine plus choking could have caused Nestor to regurgitate. The rope would hold the gastric juices in the upper throat weakening the hyoid. Digestive juices are basically hydrochloric acid."

Zach decides at this exact moment to come up to Booth and say, "Sometime when you're not busy, I wonder if I could ask you a few questions about sexual positions."

Booth didn't even want to think about talking about sex with this kid, especially since he would be thinking of his wife and him…And now he needed to be alone with his wife. "If you even try, I will take out my gun and shoot you between the eyes."

Brennan pointed out what began to make sense of the damage she sees. "These marks here and here that's scaring consistent with hydrochloric acid."

Booth looks at his wife in frustration for two very obvious reasons now. "I don't like where you're going with this."

Brennan looked at him and saw how dark his eyes were turning. She stares at him for a second longer and licks her lips slowly, knowing what that stare meant. "I need to run a few scenarios through the Angelator."

~BONES~

Brennan is in front of the Angelator and asks Angela to change some variables. "Replace the values for the hyoid bone mass with these sliding coefficients. That will replicate bone deterioration as the hyoid is being digested by stomach acid."

Angela nods her head and starts to type some things into the computer. "I'm applying a timeline and running in fast-forward. This will show it in measure time."

Brennan points to what is happening in the hologram. "The body decomposes and the gastric juices trapped by the noose in Nestor's esophagus actually digest the hyoid over time." She finally sees where, when, and why the bone cracked. "Wait, there the hyoid cracked."

Angela takes note of the time. "A hundred and ninety six point three hours just over 8 days."

Brennan looks at her husband who is looking at the hologram in front of him. She doesn't like to hurt him but she has to stick with the facts. "This finding is congruent with suicide."

Booth shook his head at that statement. "I do not accept that."

Brennan looks Booth straight in his eyes. "It's a fact; you can't not accept a fact. I have to amend my cause of death report."

Booth looks right back at her, unwavering. "Then you'll stop my investigation. The school trying to cover up a murder and you're helping them."

~BONES~

After everything was said and done, Booth knew his gut would work out for him in the end. His gut was always right. Booth walked into Wong Foos holding hands with his beautiful wife. He stopped dead in his tracks and let go of her hand though when he saw the rest of the squints there. "Oh no, this isn't going to work. I mean this is our place." Booth looked around and found his friend behind the counter. "Sid?"

Sid looked at the group sympathetically and shrugged. "As long as they keep it down on the subject of rotten corpses and bodily fluids, I have no beef at all."

Hodgins finally looks up at the duo standing by the door. "Okay that is amazing. I had heartburn. I asked Sid to bring me something and now the heartburn is gone. I mean it's gone. Man I love this place."

Booth just gives up finally. He points to where Hodgins is sitting. "Okay fine, new rules that counter is mine. That booth is yours everything else around here alright, mine. Alright, mine…M-I-N-E, mine." He says this as he points to every other table in the restaurant.

Brennan smiles at her husband's possessiveness over their little getaway. She did love him for a reason, and this was just one of them. "I've been thinking about your whole 'something stinks' aptitude. I always knew you had a subconscious knack for reading body language, stress in the voice, other subtle but discernable indicators. It's not mysterious but it is impressive and in the future, I will try to believe in your gut more often."

Booth smiles warmly at his wife and whispers, "Thank you babe. I appreciate that. What do you say we get out of here though? I really wanted so alone time with my wife and I don't think that'll happen here."

Brennan smiles up at Booth and slowly, yet discreetly leads him out of the restaurant without any of her colleagues noticing. Once Booth knew they were out of sight from the squints eyes he started to kiss his wife hungrily. "God, I wanted to do this all day."

Brennan bit his bottom lip softly and almost groaned when Booth brought her back against the wall and she felt his full form mold within her and his quite obvious arousal for her. "I love that you get turned on so easily baby." She then wraps her legs around his waist and starts trailing kisses down the column of his neck as she slid something in his pocket. Booth looks to see that a Jeffersonian ID is in it. He mentally thinks, Nice. But then his wife grinds her hips down onto his need for her and he soon finds himself carrying her to his SUV, with catcalls being yelled out by passing cars. He is so happy to be married to this beautifully amazing woman.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – The Man in the Bear**

Booth followed his wife into her office while she looked at the photos he just gave her. He heard her say, "Looks human to me." But what he was really thinking about was how his wife woke him up that morning which meant that he wasn't watching where he was walking, which meant that he bumped into his wife who had stopped walking.

He grabbed her hips gently to steady themselves. "Sorry."

Brennan looked back at her husband amused a little. She had felt her husband's slight arousal when he bumped into her, which reminded her of her wake-up call for him. She smirked a little and asked, "What's the deal?"

Booth tried to clear his head by sticking with the facts. "It was found in Eastern Washington State."

Brennan dropped the file onto her desk and looked at her husband. "Where?"

Booth smiled grimly at his partner. "Inside a bear."

She looked up at Booth one more. Did she hear him right? "No, I mean ... Inside a bear?"

Booth explained their findings. "An autopsy revealed more bone fragments in the bear's stomach and intestine."

Brennan walked to her coffee table to pick up some more files while she clarified, "An autopsy on an animal is called a necropsy."

Booth smirked at his wife's vast knowledge. "Yeah, that's pretty crucial we get that straight right off the bat, meanwhile about the dead human being…"

Brennan finally sat down at her desk and asked, "What do you need me for, the bear ate somebody."

Booth took a flash drive out of his pocket and flipped it in the air. "26 bone fragments in total, the case bumped to the Seattle field office, they bumped it to me. Check it out." He handed over the USB drive to his wife.

Brennan took the flash drive out of Booth's hand. "Why they bump it to you?"

Booth didn't want to say it, but he knew that his wife knew why he got this case. "Bones, I mean do you really care for the inner workings of the FBI office"

She smiled at her husband amused. "They bumped it to you because you work with me." She plugged the flash drive into her computer and waited for the pictures to be loaded up.

Booth smiled down at his wife completely denying that truth. "No, they hoped you could help ID the body."

Brennan looked at the first picture of a hand and looked up at Booth in disbelief. "From a hand?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, they have high expectations."

Brennan sighed lightly and looked at the images in front of her. "Definitely human, opposable thumb, probably male from the size ... uh oh ..." She looked at an image of the proximal radius and ulna.

Booth didn't like the sound of that. He walked around the desk and stood behind his wife looking down at the screen. "What?'

Brennan pointed to what she saw. "Kerf marks. Marks made from a cutting tool."

Booth hoped that wasn't what it sounded like. "Maybe when they cut open the bear?"

Brennan shook her head. "No, it's not a straight edge. Residual cross-section striae." She pointed out the specific butting pattern.

Booth looked at his wife in amusement. Sometimes she forgot who she was talking to. "Just because you say it in that definitive tone doesn't mean it means anything to me."

Brennan smiled at that and explained in terms her husband would understand. "These marks where made from a saw, the hand was already separated from the rest of the person when the bear ate it."

He looked at his wife and stated, "Somebody was dismembered and fed to a bear." Yuck.

Brennan titled her head slightly, considering that idea. "That's one possibility."

Booth definitely did not like that thought. "Woo. 'Kay, um... thanks babe."

Brennan leaned a little into him and smiled. "Glad I could help." She then pulled the flash drive out of her computer and handed it back to him.

Booth took the drive back but instead of leaving he walked around her desk and stood across from her. "But, you're not done."

Brennan started to look at her other files at her desk. "I'll check out the photographs and x-rays and see if I can confirm sex and age."

Booth couldn't wait to tell his wife this. "Pack your bags; we're going to Washington State."

Brennan stopped what she was doing in the chart and looked up at her husband in disbelief. "I'm not going to Washington State."

Booth started to sit down in the chair behind him. "Again, just because you say it in that definitive tone doesn't mean it means anything to me." Booth tossed the USB in the air again and gave Brennan his most charming smile. "Besides, we get to spend some time alone away from everyone here. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Brennan contemplated that for a few seconds and then a wide smile grew across her face.

~BONES~

Brennan was trying to make it look to Dr. Goodman that she in fact did not want to go. She now, however, wanted to know the second reason why Goodman was sending her to a different state. "And secondly?"

Goodman looked at his colleague. "Secondly, it's time to live a little Temperance, connect with other people."

Brennan did plan on 'connecting' with people but she couldn't believe that her boss would suggest it. "Are you suggesting I take this opportunity to have sex with Booth on a field trip?"

Goodman would have spat out his drink if he had been drinking something. "Good god, where is Dr. Floyd when you need him?"

Brennan looked at Goodman confused. "I don't understand what you're saying."

Goodman began to slow down in his pace. "Which is precisely why I am sending you to the Great North woods." He stopped and turned toward Temperance. "Come on now, you've partially digested dismembered skeletal remains to examine, that should put a smile on your face. Mosquitoes out there are the size of dogs, pack insect repellent." After that warning he started to walk away. Which meant he didn't see the big smile come across Brennan's face. She had become an exceptional actor.

~BONES~

Booth loved this part of their trips. "You know being cooped up in crappy hotel in the middle of nowhere, with a fifty dollar per dime, was not my idea of a good time either, you know. But now that I have you babe, the sky's the limit." Booth smiled at that idea.

Brennan looked over to her husband. "You only got fifty dollars a day? How did you live on that?"

Booth smiled at his wife. "With very small amounts of food. Although, I still don't understand how you don't have a limit – not that I'm complaining mind you. But we still work for the government."

Brennan smiled at him. "I imagine I am treated differently than you because I have an indispensable skill. I don't think you can determine the origin of the kerf marks as well as the sex and age of the victim without me."

Booth chuckled at that. "You know you're a smart ass. You know that?" He then looked at his wife with a wide smile.

Brennan looked out her window trying to hide her smile from Booth. "Objectively I'd say I'm very smart, although it has nothing to do with my ass."

Booth's smile grew even more when he saw her reflection in the window. "You know what; it doesn't matter anymore since you can put me on your tab now."

Brennan patted Booth's leg. However she became serious when she said, "That still doesn't seem ethical."

Booth smirked at his wife and simply said, "You still want that gun now, don't you? Hmm."

Brennan smiled lopsidedly at him. "Fine, we'll start with breakfast."

Booth chuckled at his wife's answer. "You know it's beautiful here, it's feels good to be out of the city. Just the two of us, where nobody knows us. We can be ourselves."

Brennan couldn't help but point this out though. "Yeah, where murders feed their victims to bears and the local police know who we are and why we're coming."

~BONES~

Booth pulled up the curb and got out of the car with Brennan following suit. "Small town America gotta love it."

Booth looks around at the town when Brennan walks down the sidewalk. "This is not a small town. Chantal, Guatemala, 150 people, no running water. That's a small town."

Booth shook his head amused. "I said small town America, not small town Guatemala. And you know I've been there too Bones."

Brennan hurried to catch up with her husband. She gave him a sympathetic smile at his last statement. She rubbed his upper arm while saying, "I know Booth." Then looking in the direction he was heading she asked, "Where you going?"

Booth smiled at his wife and wrapped his arms around her. "To see the Sheriff."

Brennan smiled up at him. "How are you going to do that?"

Booth sent her his charm smile. "It's an old FBI trick, I'm going to ask somebody who lives here." He then leaned in and kissed his wife softly on the lips.

After they broke apart, Brennan squeezed the back of his neck – where her hand rested – and whispered softly, "I'm sorry you went down there to shoot somebody through the heart from 1500 feet. You are a very good man Booth, never doubt that. I love you."

Booth smiled warmly at her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips on last time. "I love you too babe. Now go and look at that hand. I know you're dying to see it."

Brennan smiled at Booth and started to walk away from him. She really did love that man.

~BONES~

Booth walked in with the sheriff toward his desk. "You must have a few resident crazies?"

The sheriff merely shrugged his shoulders. "Juvenile bush drinking, couple of domestics, a bar fight or two? Joy riding. The only felons we have are poachers. They shoot the black bears and sell the gallbladders on the black market. Park rangers handle that stuff."

Booth heard a knock from behind him and knew who it was in an instant. And this sheriff was a little too happy to see his wife standing behind him. He waved at her and smiled, "Can I help you?"

Brennan loved seeing Booth in jeans. Something that brought out his rugged side, she guessed. She really couldn't wait to get to their room. She smiled at the woman who led her to the group and pointed at Booth. "Yeah, thanks, I'm with him."

The sheriff whispered in Booth's ear, "Suddenly I wish I was FBI."

Booth didn't like the idea of another man thinking of his wife in that way, but he knew that that was an irrational thought because his wife was so damn beautiful. So instead of getting – as his wife would put it – 'alpha male possessive', he chuckled at the sheriff's words and introduced the two. "Sheriff Chris Scutter, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

The sheriff gladly took her hand and shook it. "My first forensic anthropologist, please." He gestured to the seat across from his desk for her to sit in.

Brennan not noticing the slight flirtation going on got right into the case. "We need to find the rest of the body."

The sheriff walked around his desk and stated, "Sherman, Ranger Rivers, traced the bear's route back a week. Said he didn't find anything." He then sat down.

Booth stood, however, possessively behind his wife – inching closer by the second to send silent signals to the sheriff to back off. "What is he, some kind of Indian scout?"

The sheriff chuckled at that. "Sherman is a Flathead Indian, but since the bear was wearing a GPS collar, he didn't have to fully utilize his native powers."

Brennan didn't get that humor, since no one could possess such powers. "Did he check the scat?"

Booth didn't like the sound of that little trip they were going to have to take. "What, you think there are more people parts in the bear crap?"

The sheriff now became a little too eager to help. "We could maybe go out with Sherman tomorrow, take a look?"

Booth couldn't help it this time. He needed to let this man know that he didn't like what he was doing. "Oh, yeah, now that you've met Bones, you're all about the inter-agency cooperation."

The sheriff looked in-between the two. "Bones? Now I don't think that's anyway to talk to a lady."

Brennan smiles tightly at him. "I like it."

The sheriff however wasn't dissuaded. "Do you have dinner plans?"

Brennan was about to let him know that she in fact did have dinner plans, when her husband placed his hand on her back, pressing his front to it – almost like shielding her – and said, "We're working." He then threw the binder he had been holding back to the sheriff. "Thanks for that."

~BONES~

Sherman was showing the couple around the path the bear traveled. "We've been looking for that female hiker since she went missing. But sometimes you never find a trace; they fall in the ravine, the river. So how do you like the Evergreen Lodge?"

Brennan smiled at her memory of what she and Booth did last night on their terrace. She really was happy to have been 'forced' to come here. "Very nice, I have a beautiful view, that is, of the mountains from my terrace."

Booth moved in closer to his wife and brought his hand to the small of her back and caressed it softly, him too remembering of their beautiful view they had.

Sherman pointed out where they found the bear – unaware of the two behind him. "This was where the bear was shot."

Booth started to walk ahead of Sherman when he asked, "Where did he get before he died?"

Sherman pointed just beyond the bend. "About a hundred yards."

While Brennan and Sherman were talking, Booth had found some bear scat. "Over here."

Brennan followed the voice and found Booth standing next to a tree. "You find something?"

Watched as his wife came up to him. "Some bear scat in the woods. I think he was here and he headed off over there." Booth then pointed just ahead of him.

Brennan put down her bag and brought out some gloves and a container for the sample. "See if you can find some older samples."

Booth and Sherman started to walk away, however Sherman continued to look on at Brennan in amazement. "She ain't the squeamish type, is she?"

Booth smirked slightly and told Sherman, "I'm going to go out on the limb here Sherman and guess you don't get a lot of eligible good looking women coming through town."

~BONES~

Brennan was still smiling internally at the idea of how she got some of her sex scenes from her book when she started to set up her laptop in front of Charlie. She needed to do some research and having a husband who had excellent stamina…Brennan spoke to Zach, "Give me a second, I'm connecting to the satellite."

Zach patiently waited for her to set up. "Alright."

Brennan set everything up and saw a box come on her screen. "Okay, I'm linked."

Zach began to tell Brennan what he'd been doing. "I've been focusing on, Dr. Brennan..."

However Charlie started to speak over Zach while he walked around the counter to stand behind Brennan. "Who's that?"

Brennan wasn't really paying attention to what Charlie was doing; wanting to see what Zach needed help with, answered, "My assistant, Zack."

Charlie spoke into the phone, "Hey Zack."

Zach finally realized that he was not being paid much attention to asked, "Who's that?"

Brennan brought up the window to receive the images while she absent-mindedly said, "The overnight guy Charlie... Ok, I'm set up; you can send me the picture."

She loaded the images when Charlie asked, "Hey Zack, does your boss have a boyfriend?"

Zach answered honestly – well from what he knew to be the truth, "Not currently. Are you extremely good looking?"

Charlie looked at Brennan when he answered, "Yes I am Zack."

Brennan looked at the images more intensely finally seeing what they were. "Zack, these are bite marks."

Zach looked at the screen in front of him. "You mean from the bear?"

Brennan shook her head. "No, black bears have premolars that are small and pegged like. These marks show double cusp pattern."

Zach thinks for a second and answers, "Pigs are doubled cusped."

Charlie leans in just slightly to ask, "Hey Zack, are you extremely smart?"

Zach answered again in honesty, "Yes, I am Charlie."

Brennan stayed on topic, not willing to be distracted by such talk. "Pigs have six incisors, these marks were made by four incisors, like a chimp but these teeth form a continuous arch. "

Charlie looked at Brennan and asked curious, "So, what's got a continuous arch?"

Zach didn't like the answer. "Humans."

Brennan looked very disturbed by this newest revelation. "We just don't have a killer on our hands, we have a cannibal."

~BONES~

Brennan looked at her husband who was driving at the moment. Today had been tough and she wanted to go back to their place and just unwind. However, she needed to make sure Angela knew what she needed. "I sent a bunch of frozen meat by overnight air and I need to know what it is as soon as possible."

Brennan listened to Angela talk as Booth started to caress her fingers softly. Brennan soon realized that Angela had asked her a question, "Hmm. Maybe, it's a funny color."

Angela then asked her, "So, did you catch the guy?"

Brennan smiled warmly at Booth and squeezed his hand. "No, Booth lost him in the woods."

Booth let go of her hand and came to his defense. "Whoa, wait a second, I didn't lose him."

Brennan smiled at him and pointed out, "You didn't catch him."

Angela smiled at that. "So you two have the night free?" She could just think of all the fun things they could do.

Brennan brought her hand to rest on Booth's thigh when she responded. "Yes, we can't do anything until I get a determination on that meat and Booth has to wait until its light to look for the guy he lost."

Booth knew that his wife is just trying to distract him from what she was telling Angela and he wasn't playing that game. "I didn't lose him, ok. I...he...tell her that my flashlight died."

Brennan looked at him amused, "She doesn't care Booth."

Angela almost laughed at what was going on. "What?"

Booth motioned for his wife to give him the phone. "Give me the phone babe."

Brennan pushed his hand away, "You know it's not safe to drive and talk on the cell phone."

Angela's jaw dropped. Did she just hear him right? Did he just call Brennan…? "Okay 1. Are you two fighting? And 2. Did Booth just call you babe and if so I want all the dirty details Bren."

Booth started to tell his wife to tell Angela. "Professional pride, tell her. Please tell her that."

However when Brennan looked at him in horror he wondered what had happened. "No, Booth did not just call me 'babe'. You must have misheard him, he said 'Bones'. And Booth wants you to know that he lost the guy because his flashlight died."

Booth eyes widened at his slip of tongue. He would've kicked himself if he could have. Booth tried to play it off though looking at his wife to play along. "And because he's an Indian and he's a park ranger and he's very very familiar with the territory, tell her that."

Brennan hoped this would work. "Did you hear that?"

Angela still wasn't sure, but since she didn't hear Booth stroke out in the background, she had to believe that Brennan was telling the truth. There was also the fact that Brennan wasn't a very good liar. "Yeah, something about Indian Territory?"

Brennan sighed in relief. She looked at her husband and nodded her head telling him that they were safe, this time. "Yeah, she says she understands." She then refocused their conversation back to work, like it should be. "I need to know about that meat as soon as possible."

Angela sighed. "Yeah, I'll tell Zack."

Booth needed to make that Angela wasn't going to be fishing for anything else. "Give me the phone...hold on..." Booth took the phone away from Brennan.

Which she didn't like one bit, so she said in an irritated voice, "What?"

Booth told Angela, "Plus you know what? It wasn't even my flashlight, ok? It was the Sheriff's flashlight and his batteries they ran out, ok? "

Brennan quickly grabbed her phone out of Booth's hand and glared at him a little. "Good night Angela."

Angela still had her gut feeling, but if she was wrong maybe she could speed along what was going to inevitably happen. "Hey, you have to take that man for a drink...and have a little fun yourself."

Brennan nodded her head and looked at Booth letting him know Angela bought their lie. "Fun and a drink, where do we find that?" After she said her last goodbye to Angela and Booth was headed toward the local bar, Brennan sighed in relief. "That was close Booth."

Booth ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I know. I guess I got a little too used to be around you alone. I just…It's getting harder to lie like this."

Brennan smiled sadly, "I know it is Booth. But we have to do this if we want to stay partners. I love you too much to lose this."

Booth smiled at Brennan and brought her fingers up to his lips as he kissed each one of them. "I love you too Bren."

~BONES~

Booth had to use the bathroom when they entered the bar, so Brennan had gone up to the bar alone. Which she assumed led Charlie to ask her to dance. She really didn't want to hurt the man's feelings, so she accepted.

Charlie was now talking about her book's character and her. "So, I was surprised to see you here. You know in your book you don't sleep until you get your man."

Brennan never did understand why people thought she based her character off of herself. A few things, sure, but not the whole character. "Well that's not me, it's just a character. In real life, you have to wait for lab results."

Charlie smiles widely. "I see, so lucky for me."

Brennan laughs at Charlie's attempts to flirt with her. "I don't know, I'm afraid I'm not a very good dancer as apparently I lead."

Charlie played right along with what was meant to be a rejection line. "So, I'll follow."

Booth walked up to the bar to see Charlie dancing with his wife. But he couldn't very well cut in for any reason, so he shook hands with the sheriff as he asked Booth, "Hey Booth, want a beer?" Booth nodded his head and kept an eye on his wife, because if Charlie even started to get touchy…

It seemed Charlie wanted to talk about their current case though. "You know, I climbed with Adam sometimes, so I was kind of freaked out when I found out it was his arm."

Brennan was a bit shocked. "You knew Adam Langer?"

Charlie nodded sadly, "I taught him how to climb. Man he was strong. No matter how much I lift, I could never match him."

Brennan felt Charlie's upper arm for observance only. "You have excellent definition in your biceps and triceps."

Charlie smiled even brighter finally getting the good doctor to flirt with him. "Well, thanks. And you're waist muscles feel good too."

Brennan nodded her head. Yes, Booth told her that in many ways too. "Transverse abdominals...thank you."

Charlie could see that she was going back into her shell and tried to draw her out again. He also noticed her look over his shoulder to that partner of hers. "So that meat we sent back to your lab, that wasn't, ah, more of Adam, was it?"

Brennan shook her head. "I can't discuss..."

Rigby however interrupted her and cut in. "Excusez-moi."

Brennan was shocked to be turned by the doctor. "Dr. Rigby."

Rigby looked at Charlie as he said, "Thought I would rescue you, can't imagine you and Charlie have a lot to talk about."

Brennan doesn't understand why the doctor would think that. "We were managing."

Rigby continued to dance with her as he said, "Look, um, I guess it looks pretty bad for Sherman, huh?"

Brennan didn't understand why everyone wanted to talk about this case so much. "I can't discuss the investigation with you Dr. Rigby."

He tried to explain, "Look, Sherman is a Flathead. The spiritual beliefs of his tribe don't value cannibalism and they never have."

Brennan swayed with the doctor as she tried to explain why they had to suspect Sherman. "Anthropology teaches us that beliefs and customs evolve, that's why you can still find cannibalism practiced today."

Rigby chuckled, "So what, you can enjoy the act of eating another human being?"

Brennan didn't agree with it from her standpoint but.., "I can understand it intellectually."

Rigby diverted the topic to flattery. "Alright, I shouldn't be talking shop, not with such a beautiful woman in my arms." Booth was still watching very keenly from his seat. He saw Rigby spin his wife and then the sheriff cut in. This was beginning to be too much for his sanity.

The sheriff caught Brennan from the spin. "Hey, it's Sheriff time. You really think you can match the bite marks on Sherman's apple to the bite marks on that kid's arm bone?" Rigby left the floor upset.

Brennan just couldn't get away from it. "I don't really feel comfortable discussing a case on the dance floor."

The sheriff really liked this lady. He wanted her to open up to him. "Well, I'm the, we're colleagues." Booth had had enough by then. So he cut in.

He caught his wife firmly as the sheriff spun her out. "Mind if I cut in? Thought you might need a break."

Booth watched as the sheriff looked on at Booth's possessive hold on Brennan. Message sent and received. Brennan looked at her husband and then down at his chest. She licked her lips. "What happened to your shirt?"

Booth looked down at his wife's face and saw that look again. "Well, we're in a bar, it's a look."

Brennan moved to whisper in his ear, "Well, I like it." She then very discreetly bit his earlobe. Booth moaned and closed his eyes for a brief second and brought his wife's waist closer to his own, making them mold together.

"Don't start something we can't finish here babe." Booth then pressed his hips completely against her own so she could feel his arousal.

Brennan moaned softly and tried to think of something else, since they definitely couldn't finish that there. "Everybody is pumping me."

Booth leaned back a little from her and held her a little tighter. "I'm sorry, what?"

Brennan looked at her husband confused as he darkly looked at the three men at the bar. "For information on the case."

Booth chuckled softly at his wife's naïveté. "Bones, they're only pretending to be interested in the case."

Brennan looked back at the three men completely confused now. "Why?"

Booth brought her closer to him and told her, "They're hitting on you babe."

Brennan didn't believe that. She wasn't even sending out signals that she wanted to mate with them. She only wanted to mate with Booth. This caused her to laugh at both thoughts. "Are you sure?"

Booth swung her out, still firmly keeping his hand on her back. "Yes, I'm sure." He then grabbed her hand as she spun out completely. "You're the hottest thing this town has seen in a long time. Check out the competition." He then dipped his wife to show her Denise. God, he loved dancing with this woman. He brought her back up so that they were face to face. "Now that is somebody who wants to eat your heart."

Booth continued to dance with his wife until the end of the song. He was about to suggest they leave and get to their room, when his wife took the words out of his mouth. "Booth, let's get out of here. I plan to finish what I started earlier."

Booth didn't waste any time. He threw down some cash to cover both of their drinks and he hurriedly ushered her out of the bar before anyone else could try and dance with her. He must have broken every law to get to their hotel in the shortest amount of time. By the time they were in front of their door. Brennan was already passionately kissing Booth with everything she had.

Booth pressed her against their door and lifted her so that her legs wrapped around his waist. He deftly found their key and unlocked the door as his wife started to unbuckle his belt. Screw making love. They were going to have very-satisfying, very-rough, very-sexy sex against that wall right next to the door inside their room.

Ever in tune with each other, Brennan knew exactly what her husband wanted. He wanted to claim her as his property and she was all for that. So she – while still kissing him – brought her legs down from around his waist and allowed him to skillfully take off her pants and underwear in mere seconds with the help of her kicking them completely off. She was then lifted back up by her buttocks until she wrapped her legs around his waist again.

Booth could already tell she was ready for him and he didn't waste one moment. He entered his wife, for the umpteenth time yet it never ceased to feel like the first time. In between kisses, Booth told her. "Bren…oh god… I… mmm, love you…You… are mine." He growled out that last word which sent electricity through Brennan's body.

Brennan clung to her husband as she came the fastest she'd ever cum before. "Yes, Booth…Oh…Love you too…Show me… Booth."

Booth felt her walls clench around him and he pushed her over the edge. Mere milliseconds later he joined his wife in their marital bliss.

~BONES~

Booth, Brennan and the Sheriff were walking around in the woods looking for Sherman by following the path he ran down the night before.

Booth and Brennan had talked – after a much needed show of ownership (multiple times) on both of their parts – last night while in bed that they needed it to look like they hadn't spent the night together. So Booth took advantage of their current situation. "You didn't come down for breakfast Bones."

Brennan lied through her teeth. "Wasn't hungry. Sorry you had to pay for your own meal." She had been starving when she had woken up for two things. The first hunger was satisfied after she woke up her husband and the other hunger was satisfied after her husband ordered them room service.

Booth loved this part of their secret; them acting in front of people. It was sorta like foreplay, in its own way. "Called your room, there was no answer."

Brennan looked down and smiled slightly. "Why the sudden interest in my morning habits, Booth?"

Booth tried to think of a reason without sounding completely idiotic. "Well, I just thought we were going to get something to eat. And, you know...so I waited and my eggs got cold. Cold eggs." Yeah, that was lame. He jumped over the small stream and looked back to make sure his wife got across without slipping. He bent down and picked up something from the ground. "This is where my flashlight failed."

The sheriff felt guilty now after everything sunk in. "You mean my flashlight, and how can you be sure?"

Booth holds something up for the Sheriff to see. "Cause this is where I was standing."

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth were walking down the hallway of the hospital as she explained to Booth what was really happening. "Rigby didn't miss it ...moments like this is why I need a gun." Booth sighed and stopped where he was. He bent down to un-holster a gun that was against his ankle. Brennan watched as her husband retrieved it and stood back up straight and handed the gun over to her. "Where else do you keep them?" She took the gun and whispered, "Thank you."

Booth tried to give his trigger-happy wife some type of guidelines. "That is for self defense, so you don't just go blasting away in there."

Brennan accepted those terms. "What if I have to shoot? What part of the body should I hit?"

Booth checked to make sure the room didn't show any signs of danger where he could see and then looked at his wife. "The part that isn't me. Just stay back."Booth opened the door and headed in first, expecting his wife to stay behind him. Which of course she didn't do at all.

Booth just sighed as his wife stated the obvious, "The bodies are gone."

Booth looked around the room still making sure his wife was completely safe. "What's he going to do, take them into the woods for a late night snack?"

Brennan looked at Booth briefly confused and then she got that he was joking. "If I were him, I would destroy the evidence."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan enter the room with their guns pointed at the doctor. "Step away from the incinerator Dr. Rigby." Booth kept his wife covered as she hit the button to stop the incinerator.

Rigby lifted his hands. "You don't understand, it's a spiritual right to share life force with..."

Booth really didn't want to hear that. "Look, you're nuts, k. We get it. We don't need to hear the rambling psycho speech on why you did it."

Rigby started to walk toward Brennan and then toward the body. "You're an anthropologist, you know ancient civilizations would sacrifice some in order to preserve the strength..."

Brennan grabbed a bed pan and hit Rigby over the head with it. Booth looked at his wife shocked and then amused, "What did you do that for?"

Brennan held up the bed pan and shrugged. "Nobody wants to hear that rambling psycho speech."

Booth looks at her smirking. "A bed pan?" He then looked down at the fallen Rigby again. "Hm."

~BONES~

Booth sat next to his wife at the bar for their last meal before the hit the road. He was just handed his plate of breakfast food when Brennan stated, "And to think I didn't want to come here with you. I mean, this was a fascinating case...you don't often find ritual cannibalism in practice so close to home." She brought a spoon full of cereal to her mouth and chewed it slightly.

Booth looked at her and just shook his head. "Which I find a plus."

Brennan nodded in agreement. "There are always those individuals within a species who are driven to break the most basic taboos. I mean Rigby actually ate human flesh."

Booth looked down at his food that he began to cut. He was losing his appetite. "Bones, I just got my steak and eggs..."

Brennan ignored what he was saying and continued with her thought. "Rigby has a Prion disease, which means he's been a cannibal for quite some time...you realize when we go to trial he could use the insanity defense."

Booth pointed his fork at her. "The guy is nuts."

Brennan completely agreed. "Yes, but is he nuts because he got a brain disease from eating human flesh or was he already nuts the first time he ate flesh or did he just lick his fingers after surgery."

Booth dropped his knife and fork on his plate and pushed it away. "I should just become a vegetarian. "

Brennan looked at her husband amused. "Or as an alternative just don't eat people." Booth liked that idea, a lot. He grabbed his plate again and squirted some ketchup on it. He wasn't expecting his wife to say this though. "You know, we should come back up here this winter. Charlie says the skiing is great."

Booth looked at her with a smirk. "Oh, Charlie said that."

Brennan nodded. "Yeah, the overnight guy."

Booth laughed at that. "Yeah, I know who he is."

Brennan could tell that her husband was starting to get jealous at Charlie's attempted flirtations with her. She decided to play with him a little. "I bet he's a great skier. His hips and thighs are perfectly developed for strength and maneuverability."

Booth definitely lost his appetite then. He pushed his plate away again. "I'm done."

Brennan smiled slightly. She then looked at her husband faux concern in her eyes. "What? No good? Want some cornflakes?" She lifted a spoonful of cornflakes toward him. "Want some?"

Booth looked directly at Brennan. "No, but I do want to find Charlie and have a little talk with him…"

Brennan laughed out loud at the way her husband made a face of disgust. She leaned in and kissed Booth chastely on his lips. "I love you Booth."

Booth smiled brightly at her. "I love you too Bones."

Brennan thought to herself that she was lucky that Booth had broken through her walls and showed her how to love fully and not be hurt. She truly did love that man.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – A Boy In a Bush**

After giving her lecture to the students the floor was open for questions. Which had not been going so well. Now Dr. Goodman was already asking for a more focused question. A male student asked, "Did you get your agent before or after you wrote the book? "

Brennan was going to answer that she had not "gotten" any agent, but Goodman spoke first. "People, Dr. Brennan is an accomplished forensic anthropologist who writes books on the side."

Booth couldn't resist to ask this, "I have a question regarding role of the F.B.I. in your book: Who do you base the brilliant and insightful Special Agent Andy Lister on?"

Dr. Goodman looked heavenward as if asking for help. "Oh, for God's sake."

Booth gave his wife a rakish smile, "Because, you know, I'm pretty sure it was me."

Brennan smirks just a little bit, "What are you doing here, Booth?"

~BONES~

Booth led his wife toward his SUV thinking that he would be driving them to the crime scene. "Local police got an anonymous call saying that there were human remains in a field behind a mall in the suburbs."

Brennan nodded her head. "I did an anthropological profile of the suburb as a grad student. The whole notion of a created community, a modern utopia with its own mores and rules... It's fascinating."

Booth looked at his wife amused. "Fascinating to who?"

Brennan corrected Booth without thinking about it, it being second nature to her. "To 'whom'."

Booth smiled down at her. "Whom." He then looks at where Brennan was standing and what was in front of her. Now that was a sports car. "You've got to be kidding."

Brennan looked at her husband's face. "What? My publishers gave it to me."

Booth couldn't believe this. His wife's car was…amazing! "Gave it to you?"

Brennan told him what her publishers told her. "Book sales are pretty good. It's supposed to be a nice car."

Booth still couldn't believe it. "Gave it to you?"

Brennan merely nodded, "Yeah."

Booth finally noticed how his wife parked the car. "Well, why'd you park crooked?"

She inspected her parking and explained, "Well, the guy said to always park it like that."

He just shook his head and chuckled softly, "He's wrong. It makes you look like an idiot."

Brennan jangled her keys and asked almost poutingly, "How about I drive for once?"

Booth definitely couldn't allow that. "No, I cannot show up at a crime scene in that."

Brennan was definitely pouting now. Booth loved it. "Why?"

Booth slung his arm around her shoulder and squeezed it softly. "Because it would detract from the gravity of my F.B.I. presence. Especially if you parked crooked." He smirked at the last statement.

Temperance sighed. Sometimes her husband could be insufferable. "Why is the F.B.I. involved in the search for human remains behind a suburban mall?"

Booth pulled out a flyer from his pocket and handed it over to her while he said, "Because this boy is missing."

Brennan looked down and her heart dropped slightly. There she held a missing person's flyer and it was… "Oh, a child."

Booth looked down at her face with a stern face. He hated these cases. "Yeah."

~BONES~

Brennan stood in her office with the rest of the team for a meeting that Goodman called. "These are invitations to a banquet." He handed an envelope to her.

Brennan looked down at the invitation in disbelief. "You called a special meeting to invite us to a party?"

Dr. Goodman looked at the team with a stern eye. "Don't think of this as an invitation, consider it a summons. It's for donors." Dr. Goodman moved to Hodgins to give him the invitation.

Hodgins stands up and says, "Meet and greet, press the flesh, butt kiss…"

Goodman sighs slightly. Yes he knew all of this. "I don't like it any more than you do, but these people fund our research and all they want in return is to rub elbows with a scientist every once in awhile." He then walks toward Angela and was about to hand over her invitation.

Except Hodgins interrupted him. "I can't make it."

Brennan smiled slightly at Hodgins admission. This was her way to get out of this and spend some time with her husband. "Yeah, me neither."

Angela perked up at the other two declarations. "I have a date that night."

Goodman looked at Angela exasperated. He then handed over the invitation. "You don't even know when it is."

Zach raised his hand. Goodman passed over an envelope to him, "Yes, Mr. Addy?"

Zach took the envelope and asked, "What kind of food will there be?"

Goodman had had enough. He looked at the whole group and stated, "When I said you should think of this invitation as a summons, I understated. It's a subpoena. A grand-jury subpoena. Ignore it at your own peril."

Brennan didn't like how that sounded. "You're not gonna fire us if we don't go."

Goodman shook his head. "No, not fire you, but I can move your parking spot to Lot M. Enjoy the shuttle ride."

Zach looked up at Goodman in disbelief. "The shuttle smells like feet."

Brennan sighed. She didn't like it, but she also liked not riding in the shuttle. She and Booth could stay up late maybe… "I know when I'm beat. I'm in."

Angela looked down at the invitation and shrugged her shoulders. "What the hell, it's a party."

Zach really didn't care if he went or not. "Do I have to wear a tie?"

Goodman spoke in a monotone voice, "Formal wear. I've arranged for a limo to pick us up here."

Hodgins just shook his head. "Not me. I'm not afraid of parking or feet."

Zach looked wide eyed at him. "Wait, you drive me to work. You can't just think of yourself."

Goodman smirked a little at that. "Repercussions and consequences Dr. Hodgins. I'm your boss, and you will go to this banquet." Hodgins grabbed hold of the rubber-band and snapped it against his wrist.

~BONES~

Booth walked outside of the Sanders house with Shawn, David, and Margaret. He had fin playing with the two boys. Which pulled at his heart a little thinking about… "All right, look, you beat me bad."

David laughed a little. "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

Margaret couldn't believe her son. "David!"

Booth chuckled softly, "It's okay, Mrs. Sanders. It's alright. No, I don't have a girlfriend, I have a wife."

Shawn looked up at him and smiled, "Is she pretty?"

Booth smiled softly thinking of his Bones. He joked with the two boys though. "Nah, she's butt ugly. Got a glass eye, snaggly black teeth. So, was Leila with you the day that Charlie disappeared?" He had an idea of what was going to be said…

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan walk down the corridor of the lab. Brennan worked slightly at her bottom lip. "I'm afraid Angela might quit."

Booth brushed the back of his hand against the back of her hand. He wanted to grab it, but he knew that was a bad idea. "I'm amazed she stuck it out this long."

Brennan looked up at her husband shocked, "Why?"

Booth smiled slightly, "Oh, because she's human." Brennan glared at her husband for that comment. "I'm sorry, Bones, it's just that, you know, uh… Angela didn't get the same training that the rest of you got on, uh, planet Vulcan."

Brennan looked at her husband confused. "I don't know what that means."

They both entered the room where the skeleton was laid out and Zach was waiting for them. Booth looked down at Brennan and tried to be gentle with his next words. He knew how his wife dealt with things and Angela was not his wife. "She's… more sensitive."

Zach looked up at the group at Booth's voice. "Who's more sensitive?"

Brennan looked at Zach, "Angela."

Booth tried to explain what he meant. He knew his wife was sensitive, it's just Angela was… more sensitive to things. "She likes puppies and kitties and ducklings, and, you know, Jell-O shots and, you know, dancing on bars." He started to dance while making some type of beats to dance to.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I know that. She's my best friend." She then looked at her husband directly. She was hurt a little by his words. Did he think she was cold and insensitive. "And Angela's not the only person in the world who likes baby animals."

Zach being oblivious stated while looking down, "I never got the big attraction."

Booth stared at his wife for a few seconds and mouthed, 'I know'. He then stated – while pointing at Zach to make sure his wife knew he was talking about Zach and not her, "I rest my case. She's more sensitive." Booth smiled softly at his wife.

~BONES~

Booth entered his office with his wife right behind him. "I had to arrest her."

Brennan couldn't believe her husband. "The story checked out. The overdose."

Booth looked at Brennan, "She confessed to kidnapping."

Brennan tried to reason with him, "Margaret Sanders did nothing more than respond to the anthropological imperative. She saw an orphan and reacted."

Booth knew that she was mad at him, but he had to do his job. "This is not a National Geographic study, okay? This is the suburbs babe."

Brennan just shook her head. "Why would she kill the boy? She obviously loved him."

Booth knew that his wife wasn't liking this. He knew her past, he didn't like it either. But the rules had to be obeyed. "There are situations, right? The kid gets sick, he doesn't turn out to be what you wanted. I bet that you could give me a dozen examples of societies that have killed their own young."

Brennan looked at her husband with tears in her eyes "What about Shawn and David Cook? Where do they go now?"

Booth looked down at his desk. He knew she wasn't going to like this, "Back into the system."

Brennan made a sound of disbelief. "Do you have any idea how bad the foster care system is?"

Booth looked at Brennan pleadingly. "Yeah, I do. I know because I know my wife. You've told me what it was like Bren and I'm sorry that they have to go back in the system. But what do you want to do? Do you want us to kidnap them, the way that Margaret kidnapped Charlie?"

Brennan looked at Booth, pleading, "I want you to let them go home to Margaret Sanders."

Booth sighed heavily. He really hated it when his wife was in pain. "I'm sorry Bones, but that's not gonna happen."

She looked at Booth in disbelief. He knew what she went through, he just said it himself. So how could he just let to innocent boys back into that system? She got up and glared at him before she left his office without another word.

Booth brought his head into his hands, man he hated doing that.

~BONES~

Booth finds his wife in the bones room. She was writing notes as he entered. "Bones, I thought you'd like to know that Shawn and David are in emergency care. Pulled some strings, you know, to make sure they- they get to stay together."

Brennan nodded her head. "That's good, thanks."

Booth walked up to her until his front was touching her side. "It's the best I could do."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders trying to hold in her emotions. "Yeah, I understand."

Booth sighed and shook his head. He brought his finger under her chin to make her look at him. "No, you say you understand, but you don't. Not really. I mean, if you don't like the rule, you ignore it, right? I can't have that. And if you want to do this…"

Brennan tried to blink back the tears, but one escaped slowly as she asked, "Do what?"

Booth brought his finger up and wiped away the tear as he said softly as he leaned on the table, "Work on cases, babe. You know, with me outside the lab. If you wanna do that, I need to know that you will respect the law."

Brennan took in a deep breath and told her husband while her voice broke a little, "Tell you what, if I can't respect the law, I can at least respect you Booth." She then tapped his chest a little and smiled sadly at him.

Booth smiled softly at his wife and kissed her on the forehead, completely forgetting where he was. "Well, yeah, that'll work, too. I mean it kind of comes out of nowhere, but…"

Brennan slaps him gently on his chest and laughs softly. She then notices the pencil Booth broke when he leaned on the table. It's in three pieces. She points to the pencil, "Look what you did."

Booth looked down at the pencil confused. "It's a pencil. I'll get you a new one."

Brennan explained, "The victim was killed by trauma to the chest, but the ribs are broken in two places, not just one."

Booth looked at her confused. "Uh, because of the, uh, brittle bones. Because of his disease."

Brennan nodded, "Well, that was my assumption, but there's another explanation." She starts to leave when Booth blocks her.

Booth needed more than that. "Yeah, whoa. What's the other explanation?"

Brennan looks at him directly, "Compression."

Booth followed his wife out of the room. "Like Charlie Sanders was crushed to death?"

Brennan looked at him solemnly, "Yes. Greenstick fractures. Vertebral and Sternal." She held up the pencil her husband broke. "See?"

Booth looked at the pencil and thought of what his wife said. Something was adding up. "Hey, Shawn Cook outweighed Charlie Sanders by, what, thirty pounds? How could he have crushed him to death?"

They were just walking into the lab when they ran into Angela. Brennan knew what they needed to do. "Angela, we need to run some scenarios through the Angelator."

~BONES~

The three of them are standing around the Angelator where an image of Charlie is showing. Angela told Brennan what she wanted to know. "Charlie was three feet, four inches tall and weighed fifty-eight pounds."

Brennan considered the facts. "And Shawn?"

Angela told her, "Shawn Cook is 1.4 meters tall and weighs 31 kilograms."

Booth told his wife about the other brother, "His brother David was 5'8", 150 pounds."

Angela put that into – as Booth called it – 'squint' language, "1.75 meters, 68 kilograms."

Brennan shook her head. She wasn't wrong very often and this upset her. "At first, I thought the break to Charlie's sternum was caused by blunt trauma because it only ran along one fault line. But when Booth broke my pencil, I realized there's another way to cause the same type of injury. Compression."

Angela didn't like that idea. "Hodgins found no particulates that suggested crushing."

Brennan reasoned why there wouldn't be. "Body weight. There has to be enough weight on the victim to stop the abdomen from moving so no air can get into the lungs." Angela put in the data that Brennan just gave her as Brennan continues to explain. "Prolonged pressure caused the sternum to snap in half and the ribs to break."

Angela didn't like the image the played out in front of her. She turned away slightly which Brennan took note of, concerned. Angela tried to apologize, "Sorry, sorry. I entered real-world variables, taking into account Charlie's size and the amount of pressure…" Angela put the newest data in and played the image. She paused it when the sternum broke. "…that was required to break Charlie's sternum in the way that it was broken."

Booth needed to know what that weight was. "What did you end up with?"

Angela looked down at the findings, "86.2 kilograms."

Booth sighed. Sometimes these squints just didn't get that they were in America. "What's that in American?"

Brennan looked at her husband exasperatedly, "190 pounds."

Booth couldn't believe that. "Yeah?"

Angela thought about that. "Way too much for either of the Cook kids or Margaret Sanders."

Booth nodded his head slowly also thinking about the other suspects, "I'd put the neighborhood kid Skyler at about 160 pounds."

Brennan shook her head. "It can't be him either."

Booth looked at Brennan. He didn't like that they now had no suspects. "We should be looking for a full-grown man."

Brennan looked straight back. "You have to get Shawn to tell you where he took Charlie when they left the mall."

Her husband shook his head. "He won't talk to me."

She then thought of something that could work. "Let me do it."

Booth looked at his wife surprised that she would make such a request. She was great with… But with other people, she wasn't the best person to talk with. "Uh, no. You know people are not your strong point, Bones. And besides, he's not going to care how many facts you put in front of him."

Brennan almost grasped his hand but held back and reasoned with her husband. "Could you just go with me on this one, Booth? We're trying to catch a killer. Let me help. I know what to say."

~BONES~

Booth entered his wife's office. He had good news. "We have him cold. The insecticide he was using on the termites matches the fluoride concentration perfectly. Skyler's dad admitted everything."

Brennan sighed though. "Don't tell me, he said crushing Charlie to death was a mistake."

Booth just gave her a grim look. "He never abused Shawn Cook, he just used him to get near Charlie. It played out just like you said. He had Charlie out in that field. Some teenage kids, they come by, so he knelt on Charlie to keep him from crying out. Shawn got scared and ran back to his brother."

Brennan supplied the rest. "Charlie was small and weak. His sternum collapsed. You think he abused any other kids."

Booth sighed sadly, "Yeah, probably his own son."

Brennan gave her husband a sympathetic look. "You report that to Child Services?"

Booth nodded, "Mm-hmm. Try to get the kid some help." He then looked at his wife for a few seconds and stepped up to her and gently squeezed her arm. "Look, I'm sorry."

Brennan was confused. What had he done? "For what?"

Booth smiled gently, almost sadly. "For this case bringing back all those memories and emotions. I know it was hard. How 'bout we go home and just relax."

Brennan sighed. She completely forgot to tell him about the party. She looked at him sadly, "I would love to do that, but I am being forced to go to a party and I need to get dressed."

Booth smiled a little at the image of her in a rather elegant dress. "Oh, okay. Well I'll just go back to the office and finish up the paperwork. I'll see you at home then." He looked behind him to make sure no one was passing by or looking in her office. He then leaned in quickly and kissed her softly.

Brennan watched as her husband left and then remembered something she needed to tell him. "By the way, there's a huge ding in my passenger-side door because you told me not to park it at an angle."

Booth turned around and laughed a little. "What?"

Brennan smiled at her husband, she couldn't really be that angry with him. She couldn't resist that smile. "Okay, that's just mean. You're mean."

Booth was still laughing when he said, "I'll fix it this weekend." He then turned around and started walking away still laughing and called out, "Sorry."

~BONES~

Brennan walked in to Angela hugging Dr. Goodman. "What happened?"

Zach looked at his mentor and explained, "Apparently all Angela needed was to hear her job description in a deep, African-American tone."

Goodman looked at Zach and scolded him slightly, "Mr. Addy."

Booth had decided to help get Hodgins out of the party. So as he walked into the lab he looked only at Goodman, "Dr. Goodman, we need Hodgins in the lab tonight." He then hands over an evidence bag full of dirt over to Hodgins, "FBI needs this analyzed by morning."

Hodgins smiled slightly at Booth helping him. "Uh, I'll get right on it."

Goodman couldn't believe this man's luck, "Wait a minute, what case file is this?"

Brennan looked at her husband confused, "Am I supposed to know about it?"

Angela covered for Booth. "Booth mentioned it to me earlier today."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. She just wanted to get to this party and home as fast as possible. "That's good enough for me."

Goodman sighed, "Fine. You're off the hook, Dr. Hodgins. Let's not keep the limo waiting." He leaves the lab with Angela and Zach following.

Hodgins turned to Booth and smiled, "Thanks." He left to 'exam' the dirt which left the couple alone.

Booth finally took the time to look at his wife appreciating how the dress looked on her. "You look amazing babe. Better than amazing, you look…"

Brennan blushed slightly. She never got used to her husband's admiration. Still after over three years of being together, he looked at her the same way. With adoration and love. It made her want to… "Thanks." She then motioned for him to follow her. Booth looked at his wife, wondering what she wanted but followed her through a door that led them to the staircase.

"Babe, what are we doing, mmph." The last part of his sentence was cut off by his wife's lips. He eagerly complied with his wife. She did look amazing, hot, in that dress. They had become well adept in ways to cling to each other with the least amount of damage done to their wardrobe.

Booth held onto his wife's neck to bring her closer to him while he backed her into a wall. Things started to get real heated and Booth knew that if he didn't distract himself, that this would not end well. "Bones… how did you know… I was gonna keep… your promise?"

Brennan stopped kissing him and looked at him confused, "What promise?"

Booth placed both his hands and the side of her head. "To get Shawn and David back with Margaret Sanders."

Brennan shrugged, "Maybe I was lying. To catch the bad guy. I learned that trick from you. The end justifies the means."

Booth just shook his head, he knew that wasn't the answer.

Brennan smiled warmly at Booth. She gently stroked the side of his face. "I knew you'd back me up. I knew you wouldn't make me a liar."

Booth hummed at the feel of her caressing touch. "Hmm. How did you know?"

Brennan kissed his lips gently. "Because you want to go to heaven."

Booth looked at her a little shocked. "But you don't believe in heaven, babe."

Brennan smiled again. "But you do."

Booth smiled at his wife and kissed her one last time. "You have to go Bones before your squints come back looking for you. We will continue this when you get home." He couldn't resist giving her a rather passionate promise kiss that left Brennan whimpering when he stopped.

Booth broke the kiss and smiled, "Go and get home as fast as you can."

Brennan glared at her husband, "You are so mean, husband of mine."

He laughed at that and just shook his head while giving his wife's butt a swat as she walked to the door. He wouldn't change her for the world, she was perfect.

* * *

 _ **Ok some of y'all said I should tell the rest of the gang about their marriage but I can't because that's not how I'm writing it so please stop asking me to tell people because only in this story certain people will know later on so start the guessing game.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – The Man in the Wall**

Angela entered Brennan's office carrying a coat. Brennan was at her desk working intently on her computer. Angela just wanted to shake her head at that site. "Come on, honey. If we don't leave now, we won't get into the club."

Brennan had hoped she could get out of this. Booth had told her that Tessa wanted to talk with both of them, so she tried to think of something to keep her while she said, "I'm just finishing up a few emails."

Angela rolled her eyes at that. She walked in front of Brennan's desk while digging in her purse. "Oh, what?"

Brennan was still trying to think of something while she told the truth, "My publisher wants to schedule a book tour. I'm just confirming dates."

Angela sighed. Sometimes her best friend could really not get priorities. "That can wait, sweetie."

Brennan got up from her desk and walked over to the coffee table and picked up a stack of papers to look over. Yes this would be the excuse she could use. "There's a student that needs help identifying the cause of a fracture on a lateral epicondyle."

Angela was not amused by this. "TGIF. You heard of that?"

Brennan saw that her friend wasn't going to let her get out of this one. She needed to call her husband to let him know. But she needed to make on last attempt. "Yeah, it's some kind of acronym. But my inbox is full."

Angela couldn't believe Brennan. "We know that's not true."

Brennan started walking back towards her desk. Maybe this one could get her out. "There's a TV show that needs research. Not that they listen…" She began to sift through the papers she was holding.

Angela has had enough. "We're going" She took the papers from Brennan's hands and started to take off her blue lab coat.

Brennan knew she was beat…but one last try couldn't hurt. Right? "I really should catalog that skull. It's in the museum's exhibit on the French Revolution."

Angela just wanted to shake her friend. There were going to be hot guys at the club for goodness sake! "Yeah, Pepé le Pew is more important that booze and boys."

Brennan looked at her best friend confused. "I don't think that's his name." Angela just shakes her head and guides Brennan out of her office.

~BONES~

Brennan had barely been able to talk with Booth. She even had to use code words, since Angela was sitting right next to her driving. Now there they were, inside the club with Angela and Brennan at the bar with drinks.

Angela smiled at Brennan dancing a little with the music. "Feels good, doesn't it? Being with people who are alive?"

Brennan smiled slightly. She was enjoying herself, but she would be enjoying herself much more if she had a certain someone to dance with. "It's very stimulating, I have to admit."

Angela's face broke out in a brilliant smile. "We are so gonna tear it up tonight."

Brennan looked at Angela confused a little. "That's slang, right?"

Angela nodded her head, "Right."

Brennan looked down at her clothes. "Is my costume all right?"

Angela wanted to laugh at that. "Sweetie, it's not a costume. It's a cute outfit. And yes, it looks perfect."

Brennan took a sip of her drink. Her husband would definitely appreciate it. "I know, it's very – it's very warm in here."

Angela laughed at that. "No, because it looks great." She then grabbed Brennan by the arm and led them away from the bar. As they walked through the crowd she told Brennan, "We are so getting checked out!"

Brennan didn't even pay attention to that statement. "I love this music."

Angela started to dance a little. "DJ Rulz, he is so hot."

Brennan yelled over the music, completely oblivious to what others might think. "It's so tribal."

Angela was still dancing when she told Brennan, "Don't say 'tribal', sweetie."

Brennan was confused by that. "Why?" And then it dawned on her. "Oh, because of all the black people?"

Angela grabbed Brennan's arm to reason with her. "Sweetie, just for tonight, have fun, stop dissecting and take part."

Brennan began to dance as she told Angela, "African-Americans aren't the only ones with tribal heritage."

An African-American club goer cuts into the conversation, angrily, "You say we're natives of some tribe?"

Brennan tried to explain, "Anthropologically speaking, we're all members of tribes."

Another woman approached the group. "You better shut your mouth."

Brennan looked at the group starting to crowd around her and tried to explain, "I just meant hip-hop mirrors the direct visceral connection you see in tribal communication."

One of the men shouted upset, "What?"

Brennan took that as a literal inquiry, "After the Cartesians split in the 17th century, we separated our mind from our bodies the numinous from the animalistic."

The first woman that yelled at her, now was pissed off. "Are you calling me an animal, fool?"

A third woman rolled her eyes. "No fool. She's using Descartes' philosophy to say she's down with the music."

The first woman looks at the third one angered, "Who you calling a fool, fool?" She shoved the third woman which causes her to fall. She then looked back at Brennan and raised her hand like she was about to fight her. "Get out of my way." She then tried to shove Brennan, but Brennan reacted quickly and side stepped the attempt and pushed the woman to the ground.

Angela couldn't believe what was happening. For once, she wished she could hang out with her friend and it end well. She held up her hands to everyone watching while she followed Brennan away from the crowd. "We're going, we're going."

However another man who was still upset, grabbed Brennan's arm to stop her. "You shouldn't have done that, bitch!" Brennan reacts quickly to defend herself, by kicking the man hard which causes him to crash into the wall. The wall cracked under the pressure. Some form of powder was released into the room, falling over everyone. Angela licked some of the powder off her finger.

Angela knew that taste. "Uh oh."

Brennan looked at the mummified body and then turned to Angela with a perplexed expression.

~BONES~

Booth couldn't believe his wife. It was like she was a magnet for dead people. He was having dinner with Tessa when the call came in. At least now he could talk with his wife right away. He and Tessa were walking down a set of stairs following Special Agent Furst when Furst asked Booth, "Are you sure she can handle this?"

Booth wanted to roll his eyes at that. "No one in our lab knows the first thing about dealing with a mummy. I'd have to call her in anyway." Booth helped Tessa with the stairs. It was the least he could do. If they were going to go out they might as well put on a show. He then followed Furst to the crime scene.

Furst shook his head at the memory of the doctor. "She assaulted two agents who were trying to tape off the body." He then pointed to Brennan, who was talking to two men asking them to stay away from the body.

Brennan looked back and saw her husband. She was distracted slightly by the overwhelming arousal that rushed through her body at the sight of him, but she pushed that aside and adamantly said, "They were trying to compromise the remains."

Furst explained why Brennan was acting like this, "A cloud of meth covered the dance floor. I think they've inhaled quite a lot."

Booth couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips. His wife was high, this was priceless. "Are you two high?"

Angela tried to defend them, "Only by accident, so it doesn't count."

Brennan looked at Booth then back at Tessa. She wondered, "Why'd you bring Tessa? This doesn't seem like such a great date."

Tessa crossed her arms and looked at Brennan, going along with the charade. "We were out to dinner when he got your call." Then she noticed her eyes and became concerned for her friend, "Your pupils are the size of saucers."

Brennan saw two officers from the corner of her eye and rushed over to them. "Wait, get away from the remains!"

Booth couldn't believe his wife. She was something else when she was high. "Bones, simmer down."

Two African-American men arrived to the scene in that moment. The one without the cane asked impatiently, "How long is this gonna take?"

Booth turned around to look at the two men. "Who the hell wants to know?"

The second man with the cane apologized, "I'm sorry, he works for me. I'm Randall Hall, I run this place."

Booth went straight into FBI mode. "You run this place Mr. Hall? Interesting, you know, cause we found some drugs on…"

His wife then cut him off by repeating his words, "Found them, we found 'em."

Booth looked down at Brennan and gave her a look. "Alright, we found some drugs on the dead guy. We're gonna want to know where they came from, why he had them"

Brennan repeated him again slightly. "Why?"

Booth couldn't believe this woman. She should never get high again, that was for sure. He gave her an annoyed look. "Why he had them. Any idea who he is?"

Brennan was about to try and repeat that, "A…" But she received another look from her husband and decided it was best to walk away.

Booth turned back to the two men, "Any ideas?"

Hall smiled smugly at Booth, "The guy barely looks human. What makes you think I'd recognize him?"

Booth turned back to Brennan who was now looking at the mummy intently. He came up to her from behind and brought his hand to motion at the mummy, "Bones, how does something like this happen?"

Brennan grabbed her husband's arm to stop him from getting too close to the mummy. "Well, the Egyptians would give the body a cedar oil enema and then rinse it with wine and cover it with salt. But I don't think that's what happened here."

Booth just shook his head and chuckled a little, "Bones, you are totally wasted."

Brennan turned around to make a reply to that but she then saw Zach coming down the stairs. She rushed over to him and led him to the mummy. Zach looked uncomfortable, since he didn't know why Brennan was acting the way she was. "Zach! Zach! Zach! Come here! Come here!" She then put her hands on Zach's shoulders as she pushed him towards the mummy. "Isn't this a beautiful specimen of mummification?"

Zach looked around, confused. "What's going on?"

Booth explained, "Let's just say your boss inhaled."

Brennan directs Zach's attention to the mummy. "See how perfectly dried and preserved the skin is? You don't find something like this every day." She then remembered that Tessa was there and turned toward her. "Hey Tessa, have you seen it?"

Angela looks a little too happy when she said, "It's so hard to believe that you two would be a couple. You know, cop and lawyer. It's very touching."

Tessa really didn't know what to say, so she decided with this. "I'm gonna grab a cab."

Booth now felt bad. He dragged Tessa over here without a thought of how she would react to the body. He rushed over to catch up to Tessa, handing her some money. "Oh, no. Oh, ok, hold up. Uh sorry, sorry. I apologize. Here, I'm gonna make it up to you, I promise, ok?" He then remembered that they were supposed to be on a date, so he added, "Ice cream later?" He placed a quick chaste kiss on her lips. He hoped his wife wouldn't kill him. "Take care."

Tessa smiled slightly. Those two really loved each other, because they wouldn't be risking everything if they didn't. She only hoped her and her fiancée would be like them. "I'll talk to you later." She flicks her eyes back toward Brennan to make sure that she knew that she was included in that.

Booth nodded his head, "Talk to you later."

Brennan stood next to Angela. She found that when Booth acted like that, it showed how much he loved her. Which was just plain sexy. But of course she had to play along with their game. So her and Angela looked at each other as Booth turned around and then looked back at him and said in unison, "Awww!"

Booth just looked at them unfazed. "Can we just stick to the business here? Thank you." He turned to Hall, "I'm gonna need a list of your employees, alright? We'll run it through the system, see if any one of 'em have a drug conviction." He then looked at his wife, "How long before you can ID him?"

Brennan looked at Booth for a brief second hoping he saw how aroused she was, before she looked back at the mummy. "Well, I'm not at all tired so I'm sure I can stay up all night and work." She then spoke to Zach, "We have to be careful removing him. He's very dry and brittle." Brennan brushed away some cobwebs as she said in awe, "My first modern mummy."

~BONES~

Booth was driving his wife to the lab. He needed to talk with her. "Tessa's boyfriend proposed to her. She said yes, which means that we can't use her as a ploy. We have to make everyone believe that we broke up, soon."

Brennan nodded her head. She heard what he was saying, it just that… "Booth, pull over."

Booth looked over at his wife concerned. "Are you feeling sick, babe?" He pulled over and put that car into park. However before he could even turn to look at Brennan, she was already straddling him in his seat.

Brennan began to kiss the column of his neck. "No, I'm not sick. I'm just extremely aroused by you, Booth." She kissed him with all her pent up arousal and ground her core onto his groin.

Booth groaned loudly and started to reciprocate. Maybe his wife being high wasn't such a bad thing. Brennan started rocking her hips against his fully aroused self, loving the friction. She panted out, "Booth…Booth…Yes!"

Booth felt like a teenager all over again, dry humping his girlfriend in his car. Except this was his extremely beautiful wife. If it was even possible, he got even more aroused by that thought, which caused him to thrust his hips up against her core. He groaned again with pleasure, "Bren, god you are amazing."

He then captured her lips feverishly with his own and devoured her lips. All the while Brennan was getting closer and closer to the edge. This was one thing that she loved about them. Even without doing the deed they could satisfy each other. With one last thrust of her hips which was met by her husband's, her walls shattered. She groaned out huskily, "Seeley!"

Booth held onto his wife as she came in front of him. After she came back down, he felt his wife's hand wrap around him over his jeans and squeeze. He groaned and thrust his hips forward, as his wife gave him a hand-job. "Bones, mmm, baby." He didn't know how she did it but she always knew how to make him cum for her. So with one last squeeze and a bite to his neck, he came.

With both panting heavily, looking at each other, they both smiled softly at each other. Brennan spoke first, "That. Was. Amazing." She then leaned in a kissed Booth softly. "Thank you Seeley." Booth knew that when she said his first name, she was completely and utterly satisfied. She slowly started to move back into her own seat when she made the observation, "I'm a mess. I can't go into work like this."

Booth chuckled softly. "Well babe, you should have thought of that before you started something."

Brennan glared at him playfully. "Don't you have an extra pair of my clothes in the back? You can't go into work looking like that either, people will know what we did." She pointed down to the front of his jeans to emphasize her point.

Booth looked down and shook his head. "Yes, I've got a change in the back for both of us." Yep, his wife was going to be the death of him.

~BONES~

Brennan, Angela and Hodgins were examining the mummy on the platform. Hodgins joked around a little. "Crystal meth is made from cold medicine, lye and the strike pads from matchbooks. The body was not designed to deal with that kind of assault."

Brennan was starting to come down from both of her highs, the one from the meth and the one from her sensual husband. She definitely was enjoying the latter sensation, but not the throbbing headache from the drugs. "So I'm finding out."

Hodgins offered, "Chamomile tea? It's very soothing."

Brennan shook her head. Oh god, just the thought of that smell made her nauseous. "No, I just need your results."

Hodgins smirked, "How about a stick to pry the monkey off your back?"

Angela sat down by the computer, looking completely drained and out of it. "Are you sure you need me here?"

Brennan glared at her slightly, "Payback for showing me the good life."

Booth walked up on the platform and approached the group. "Ok, so how is my man, the Tut?"

Brennan grabbed her head slightly, "In better shape than I am."

Hodgins was enjoying this a little too much for Brennan's taste. "The meth found in his lungs and nasal passages matches the meth that juiced Angela and the good doctor here."

Brennan grabbed the report out of his hands. "Can you please keep it clinical?"

Booth looked at the body, "So, uh, he died of an overdose."

Brennan went to open the report, but dropped some of the pages. Booth bent down to pick them up and gave them back to his wife. She should definitely never get high again. "Asphyxiation. Meth coated the alveoli in his lungs, making breathing impossible."

Booth looked at the paper over her shoulder. "So, uh, he overdosed with his meth behind the wall."

Hodgins pointed a small pen light at the mummy. "Well, the space was too narrow for him to squeeze through. He got stuck, the bag broke, and when he gasped for air he inhaled and died instantaneously."

Brennan just wanted to go to sleep, but she explained how this man became a mummy, "The dry air convection behind the wall removed most of the moisture from his body."

Booth winced slightly, "How long was he, uh, in there?"

Hodgins told him, "Judging from the acrid mites in his ears, I'd say six weeks."

Booth then noticed something very different with the body. He pointed to the body, "Hey, didn't he have hands?"

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth entered the testing room where the hand was inside a jar with liquid. Brennan explained what she was doing to her husband, "They're easier to work with dismembered. I've rehydrated them so we can get some fingerprints." She then opened the lid of the jar.

Booth can't believe sometimes what his wife's job entails. "Off that?"

Brennan nodded, "Sure." She then picked up the hand from the jar.

Booth tried to make to think of anything else, so he asked his wife, "You've been to Costa Rica, right?"

Brennan nodded her head, "I was flown down once. They found a human skull 12,000 years old." She continued to work with the hand, placing her hand underneath the skin. "Why?"

Booth looked away while his wife did whatever she was doing with that hand. "Finally getting some vacation time. I was wondering if you wanted head off on Thursday. I heard Costa Rica was beautiful. I was also thinking of letting everyone think that I'm going with Tessa. Hopefully Angela will take the bait."

Brennan smiled softly, "Yes. Fascinating wildlife, lots of parrots. And how do you know how Angela will react." She then pulled the skin off the hand.

Booth frowned. "Angela is Angela. She'll find some way to make us feel uncomfortable. I don't like parrots, no. People should really, really do all the talking. You know, maybe we should…" He then looked at what his wife was doing, "Oh God! What are you doing?"

Brennan placed her hand inside the removed skin. "Aztecs would slay people and then wear their skin as a bodysuit."

Booth is just grossed out, "I guess you won't be needing mittens for Christmas, huh?"

Brennan walked over to a machine and placed a finger on the glass. The machine beeped as it took the fingerprint. "Angela does seem like she wants us together. We should talk about the vacation later on, at home though. I don't want anyone to overhear us." Booth merely nodded, still slightly consorted by what just happened.

~BONES~

Booth sat at the desk in front of the computer screen that showed the fingerprint off the hand. Angela and Brennan approached him. When they came up to him Brennan asked, "Did the FBI find a match?"

Booth leaned forward and clicked the mouse. "Yep, his name was Roy Taylor."

Angela looked at the driver's license on the screen. "Roy Taylor? You're kidding! That's DJ Mount."

Brennan looked at Angela confused, "I don't know who that is."

Angela explained, "Mount is one of the best DJs in DC. He used to play at the club. Everyone was wondering what happened to him. His album's really gonna take off after this."

~BONES~

Brennan was sitting on her couch working as rap music played from her computer when Booth entered her office. He was wondering what his wife was up to and he was surprised to hear this type of music playing. "I never knew this side of you Bones."

Brennan looked up at her husband and smiled a little. "It's DJ Mount."

Booth couldn't believe his wife's head hadn't imploded yet. "You're hung over, doesn't this make your head explode?"

Brennan shook her head. "I grabbed a couple of hours of sleep on my couch and showered in the lab's decontamination room."

Booth shook his head. His wife was something else sometimes. "You really know how to live babe."

Brennan looked at Booth confused slightly but decided against him clarifying himself. "Angela said rap artists sometimes kill each other over the music. Jam Master Jay, Tupac, Biggie."

Booth laughed slightly, "Do you even know who you're talking about?"

Brennan nodded, "Yeah, I've done my Googling."

Booth chuckled at that idea, "Yeah."

Brennan stood up and bobbed her head along with the beat as she said, "Listen…you can hear the alpha male asserting himself."

Booth made some noises and mimicked the rapper, "Fill your ass up…with lead…always a nice lyric."

Brennan went over to her desk annoyed at her husband. Maybe she was still a little hung over. "I'm heading back to the club to meet the FBI forensics team." She turned off the music, "I'm getting facts." She then left her husband standing in the middle of her office.

~BONES~

After leaving Rulz studio Booth tried bouncing ideas off his wife. "Ok, how about this? DJ Mount trusted Eve because they were sleeping together. So she meets him in the wall, takes the drugs, kills him for Rulz, then she takes off."

Brennan was not impressed. She gave him a look and said sarcastically, "Hey, you should write fiction."

Booth just looked at his wife and shrugged, "What? It's reasonable."

Brennan shook her head. "It's not based on evidence, it's conjecture."

Booth sighed. Did they have to go through this every time? "Look, I'm positing a scenario. We've been through this before."

Brennan looked directly at him and smiled, "Yeah, and it always seems to be a waste of time. Now, finding a marker on a bone…"

Booth looked right back. "No… you know, why don't we talk about our vacation? We need one."

Brennan looked out the window. "Well, I'm not the one who's snippy."

Booth snorted slightly, "Snippy? What are you, like 70?"

Brennan pointed at him. "See what I mean? I think we should find a nice relaxing place to go on that vacation. Somewhere where you can get a massage, maybe do some yoga."

Booth looked horrified. "I don't do yoga Bren. Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups. That's what I do."

Brennan tried to reason with him. "Yeah, that's more cardiovascular. Yoga deals more with…"

Booth held up his hand. "Why exactly are we talking about yoga?"

Brennan shrugged again. "Because you're tense, Booth."

Booth looked forward. "Because we're talking about me doing yoga. Men don't do yoga Bren."

She responded with, "Yoga is what helps me be very flexible. You appreciate my flexibility Booth."

Booth looked at his wife. Why did she have to say things like that? "Bones…" He then turned on the radio to distract him. But instead of his favorite station coming on, some rap music started playing. "You switched my music." Brennan just looked the other way and bobbed her head with the beat.

~BONES~

After finding the second body Brennan, Zach and Hodgins were working on the platform around the remains. Zach was holding up x-rays of the teeth as he said, "Dental records confirm that this is Eve Warren."

Hodgins informed Brennan, "Insect activity confirm she died around the same time DJ Mount did."

Brennan looked around, wondering where her husband went. "Where did Booth go? I gotta give him the news."

Hodgins looked up. "His girlfriend brought him a change of shirt."

Zach pointed up, "They're up in the lounge."

Brennan was confused at first when Hodgins said girlfriend, but then she remembered about Tessa. "Wha…Zach, clean the bones."

Zach didn't know why he had to do this. "We've already got cause of death and identity. What am I looking for?"

Brennan started to move away to go talk with Booth." It might be grasping but that odd mark we found on Mount's skull? See if you can find anything like it on Eve's remains."

~BONES~

Booth had called Tessa to bring him an extra shirt for two reasons. 1. He didn't have his extra one he kept in his SUV because of earlier the day before with his wife. And 2. So Angela could do her thing and make things uncomfortable for this "couple". That was exactly what she was doing, too. She was talking with Tessa and Booth. Booth and Brennan had decided on going to Jamaica. The honeymoon they never got. "Jamaica? God, that's incredible."

Tessa wanted to laugh at Angela's endeavors to break them up. She really was a good friend to Brennan. She told Angela what her, Booth and Brennan talked about over the phone earlier that day. "Umm, it's a bed and breakfast. There are these coral cliffs."

Booth stood by the couch as he changed his shirt when he added, "Snorkeling, kayaking."

Angela smiled broadly. This was exactly what she needed to hear to plant the seed of doubt. "Oh, you two are so ready for the pre-shacking up test vacation."

Booth wanted to laugh at how predictable Angela could be at times, but he played dumb. "What do you mean?"

Angela elaborated, "You have keys to each other's places. You've done the weekend away a couple times. Yeah, it's time for the ten-day vacation. You know, Jamaica's like a dry run for living together only with rum punch and steel drums." Yep, seed planted. She left with a smile on her face.

Tessa waited until Angela was out of ear shoot, when she let herself laughed. "Seeley, you really know how to put on a show. I mean living together? Silly."

Booth chuckled at Angela's attempts. "Thanks for bringing me a shirt. Can you just drop this off back at my place, you know so everyone doesn't get suspicious." He then handed her the old shirt.

Tessa smiled. "Yeah, ok. I'll talk to you and Brennan later."

Booth nodded, "Yeah." He then leaned in and quickly kissed Tessa for show for the lab.

Brennan approached them right as Tessa was beginning to leave. "Hi, Tessa."

Tessa smiled warmly, "Hi Brennan. I gotta go, but I'll see you guys later. Bye."

Brennan watched as her husband buttoned up his shirt. She loved helping him get dressed, especially tying his ties. She had to restrain herself from going up to him. "It's Eve Warren."

Booth finished buttoning his shirt up. "Eve Warren. Ok, cause of death?"

Brennan answered, "Same as Mount."

Booth nodded his head. This wasn't good. "Meth overdose."

Brennan nodded. "Pushed in the face, but there's more. I don't think that Rulz killed her."

Booth was surprised to hear that. "She was buried under his studio."

Brennan knew that, however… "But her wrist was broken."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan walked up the stairs to the platform. Booth tried out one scenario, "How about this? Hall's got motive to kill Mount. Why? Because he's jumping labels, and he's running away with some girl who's stealing Hall's meth and money."

Brennan donned surgical gloves as she prepared to exam the bones again. "I'm starting to see how this whole motive thing works."

Booth smiled. He loved it when he could help his wife see the logic of going with your gut. "Thank you."

Brennan added, "It's still murky psychological guesswork though."

Zach called out to Brennan, "Dr. Brennan, I found a mark on Eve Warren. Here, on the manubrium."

Brennan had an idea. "Compare it to the mark on Mount."

Booth continues with his scenario. "Ok, Eve tells Mount that she wants to start a new life, so she rips off the dope and the cash thinking she can build a new future with him."

Brennan can't accept that. "That's a story, Booth. You need to find something real."

Booth looked at his wife and tried to make her see what he saw. "But why? It feels real to me. I mean, Eve is a woman in love who is trying to escape a world that's just crushing her. Hmm? All right, Mount finds out how much trouble the woman he's in love with is in, so he gives up his own life to protect her. That's not enough. They were hoping for a better life, and they wound up dead." Booth could see that Brennan now saw what he saw.

Zach pulled up the two images and compared them. "Looks like a match."

Brennan walked over to the computer and looked at the images. "Thanks, good job."

Booth looked at the two pictures. "What the hell's that?"

Brennan honestly didn't know. "I'm not sure, it's a bone dimple. But they both have it, so it can't be genetic. Something external caused it, but I'm not sure what."

Booth slammed his hand on the table. "Randall Hall, he's behind this. Randall Hall, ok? He killed these two people. We know it, he did it. We just can't touch him, and there's no evidence linking him to the drugs, the cash or either body except for a couple of damn bone dimples."

Brennan could see that this was starting to really get to her husband. "I'll keep looking at the remains, maybe find the evidence we need."

Booth shook his head. "I can't let it stand."

Brennan looked up at him confused. "What?"

Booth was getting really upset now. He hated that he couldn't do anything. "You know what? I'm gonna spread the pain, all right? That's my new motto." He then started to leave.

Brennan didn't know what he meant by that but she wanted to help him out. "Wait, I can help spread pain. Wait!"

~BONES~

As Hodgins helped Zach put on a vest, Angela and Brennan talked. "Get this. I called Tessa to tell her a couple places she should check out in Jamaica. She's not going."

Brennan knew the story, since they had planned it this way. "What happened?"

Angela smiled broadly. She now made an opening for her best friend. "Well, she said something came up at work, but I know the truth."

Hodgins turned toward Brennan. "How many times you want me to poke Zack?"

Brennan wanted to hear this 'truth' that Angela was talking about. "Just once, but as hard as you can."

Zach didn't like how that sounded. "As hard as he can? Why don't I hit him as hard as I can?"

Hodgins couldn't resist to mess with Zach. "Because you have arms like noodles, while I'm vigorous and burly."

Brennan turned back to Angela to get the answer, "What truth?"

Angela smirked. "They got freaked out by stage six."

Brennan was not expecting that. "What's…what's stage six?"

Angela listed them out. "One, spend the night. Two, spend the weekend. Three, exchange keys. Four, sexy weekend getaway. Five, extended vacation, inevitably followed by six—move in together."

Brennan shook her head. "I'm an anthropologist. I know the stages of everything, you made those up."

Angela barked out a laugh. "I did not."

Brennan smiled a little and chuckled, "Yes, you did."

Angela insisted that she was right. "They got to stage five, and they balked."

Brennan couldn't help but defend her husband's loyalty. "Not Booth, Booth did not balk."

Angela smiled sadly at her friend's 'naïveté'. "Sweetie, it's always the guy."

Brennan shook her head. Not her Booth. "Booth is not a balker."

~BONES~

Booth sat at the bar in Wong Foo's waiting for his wife. He had a red tropical drink with a paper umbrella sticking out of it. The television had the news on, "Here's what we know so far. Evidence linking rap producer Randall Hall with the death of rising hip-hop star Deejay Mount led to charges being filed today by the district attorney. Information coming to us slowly at this point but as soon as details…" Booth turned off the TV. He really didn't want to hear about that case again.

Brennan smiled warmly at Booth. She had changed into a flowing sundress. She was actually excited about their vacation. She walked over to Booth and sat down next to him. "Getting yourself in the mood?"

Booth smiled as he played with the umbrella and ate the pineapple slice. "Trying. You know, this really isn't gonna be the type of vacation I was hoping for."

Brennan raised her eyebrow. "Oh?"

Booth nodded, "Yeah, you see. I wanted to spend a whole week with my wife in Jamaica, but she says she has to be back by Monday. It's such a shame. I was planning this whole romantic getaway, you know, the honeymoon we never took." He then took a sip from his drink trying to conceal his smile.

Brennan chuckled, "That's too bad. At least, you guys get to go on your honeymoon for four days. That's four days of just the two of you alone, in a seclude bed and breakfast, only leaving the room for necessary reasons."

Booth inched closer to his wife, forgetting about his drink. "Oh, really."

Brennan nodded her head and then threw him a seductive smile. "Sure, nothing wrong with spending your honeymoon like if it really was your honeymoon."

Booth wrapped his arm around Brennan's waist. "That does sound nice."

Brennan leaned in toward her husband. "Yeah, it sounds real nice."

Booth couldn't stand it anymore, so he leaned in the rest of the way and kissed his wife. After the need for air became necessary, Booth broke the kiss and whispered, "I love you Temperance Brennan-Booth."

Brennan brought her hand up to Booth's cheek and softly caressed it. "And I love you, my husband, Seeley Booth. Even though we may not agree on everything, even when I question your process, even when I start to question the possibility of forever, know that I love you. I married you, Seeley Booth, and I don't regret it one bit. I wouldn't change anything about my life. You make me whole, even though that is completely irrational. You make me feel complete."

Booth rested his forehead against Brennan's and whispered, "And I married you, Temperance Brennan, and I will never regret it. You are my better half. I would be lost without you Bones. You, my wife, my love, you are the only one for me. If I were to go on this vacation alone I would think about not coming back."

Brennan leaned back a little, surprised. "Seriously?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah, you know, you go with someone you love, you joke about not going back to your real life and the two of you laugh. But when you're alone, the world is full of possibilities."

Brennan placed her hand at the back of Booth's neck and squeezed it gently. "Well, thankfully you have me to come back home to. And I have you. Now, come on. If we don't leave now we're going to miss our flight. And I really, really would like to have a honeymoon."

Booth smiled broadly and slipped on his jacket. "Okay Bones. Let's get going." He then placed his hand on the small of her back and led her out of Wong Foo's. This was going to be the best honeymoon ever.'

* * *

 _ **So I've read everyone's comments and there will be a chapter where booth's proposes.**_

 _ **This the best I can do for now but I hope you understand that I'm doing episode by episode of this and it's very hard to write in something that doesn't go with the episode, but I will tell you that some people will know that their married (four people in the gang; including some doesn't stay long in the bones series) so give reviews on which 4 people.**_

 ** _Sincerely,_** _ **A.A**_


	7. Chapter Break

**Chapter 6.5 – The Couple in the Bungalow**

The couple had walked into the airport holding hands. This was one of the many things that they didn't do on a regular basis, which was why they cherished it even more so when they did do it. Brennan also was wearing some rather large sunglasses to conceal her face from any passersbyers that might recognize her. She wanted this vacation to be about them as husband and wife, and not about her fame. That was one reason why Booth booked everything under his name.

They were now walking to their terminal quietly, still holding hands. Brennan had never understood the concept before of the 'holding hands' idea. However, now she knew that it wasn't so much a show of affection to outsiders, it was more about the two needing to be connected in some way, shape, or form. She now understood that you really do become one – even though that was completely irrational and impossible – when you love someone. That fact scared her entirely, almost to the point of putting up her walls and running. Almost. But then Booth – her husband, her best friend – would show her that it was all worth it. It was worth the possibility of (as he would put it) 'heartbreak'. She saw the reasons why she could risk everything for this man. So as they walked to their terminal, this realization became ever more apparent which caused Brennan to stop in her tracks.

This in effect caused Booth to stop too, since he was still holding his wife's hand. He looked back with concern, wondering why she stopped. Had she seen someone they knew? She didn't have a look of panic on her face. "Bren, what's wrong?"

Brennan looked up at her husband and saw the concern etched across his handsome features. She stepped up to him until their chests were nearly touching each other. "I love you Seeley, very much." She watched as his features relaxed immediately and his eyes softened – even though that too was not physically possible – and a loving smile grew on his face.

Booth didn't know what prompted such a response from his wife, but he has happy to hear it. "I love you too, Temperance." He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. He knew that his wife struggled with their marriage on a daily basis. Not because she didn't love him. She loved him immensely. It was more the fact that marriage held a future to it, the unknown. She struggled with the idea of not knowing what could happen tomorrow, what kind of pain their marriage would cause to each other. He was invested in their relationship 100% of the way. She was it for him. He knew that from the moment he met her. Even though it wasn't the best of timing, he knew it in an instant.

They both had dark pasts that crept in and cause difficulties for them to progress in their relationship, but they had worked through it each time – with some arguing and frustration of course – and they would continue to work through them whenever they arise. That's what made them such a compact team. No matter what they worked through it and came out stronger in the end.

Booth placed one last, soft kiss on her lips before he stepped back. "We're going to miss our flight if we don't start walking again." Booth could see Brennan roll her eyes behind her glasses even though she was smiling.

"Well, you're the one who needed to stop for something to eat. It's like you have a black hole in your stomach, considering how much you consume in a day." Booth gave her his trademark 'Booth smile' and grabbed hold of her hand again. This caused a slight shiver to go up Brennan's spine as she felt the coolness of her husband's wedding band touch her skin. She loved to feeling. She was never one to be possessive of things, but when it came to Booth her mind didn't like to think rationally. She had come to terms with that a long time ago.

~BONES~

As their plane landed, the couple breathed a sigh of relief. Dead bodies seemed to find them wherever they might go and they both had been afraid that that might happen during this flight. Now that would've been hard to explain to their team.

The duo walked out of the plane with renewed energy. They immediately located their luggage and went to pick up their rental car. They both knew that Brennan needed to get the minimal amount of suntanning as possible since she was only suppose to be taking the next four days off to 'focus on her book'. She definitely couldn't explain her most recent suntan to her colleagues without lying, and she didn't want to risk slipping up. So they were planning on spending most – most – of their time inside, which was fine with Booth.

As they drove to the bed and breakfast Booth had booked, Brennan let the warm breeze hit her face. She rarely had a vacation that was just for relaxation. It usually did consist of some type of anthropological find. She loved her work, but when she was on these 'vacations' she usually was away from Booth for long periods of time. She wasn't the clingy type, but she did love her husband and loved being around him. He brought her great comfort and at times, while on her digs, the corpses got to her. She would always call him then, just to hear his voice. That alone brought her great comfort. Brennan hadn't even realized that they had arrived until she felt the car stop.

For some reason unknown to her, she now felt entirely nervous and anxious. Like it was actually their first time together. Brennan grabbed her carry-on bag from the trunk while Booth grabbed their luggage. Brennan stopped protesting about such displays of alpha maleness, almost one year into their marriage. Booth was an alpha male, which was one reason she married him since she too was an alpha female. Brennan walked up to the door and entered the code that was provided to them. It was a warm 87 degrees out and it felt good for the cool breeze rush out of their bungalow.

Brennan walked over to the marble island and placed her bag on top of it, taking in the place. It was beautiful. Booth entered the place and had his breath taken away. Not because of the place – sure it was amazing – but it was the sight of his wife. There she stood, looking around at everything with her beautiful blue eyes, the sun hitting her hair making it a vibrant auburn color, and her face showing just pure ecstasy. This was his wife, the woman he loved, and this was their honeymoon – the one they never had. Booth quietly closed the door and locked it. He left their bags at the foyer and walked up behind her.

Booth wrapped his arms around Brennan's waist and brushed her hair to the side to reveal her neck. "Temperance, you are gorgeous." He then descended down to her neck and started to suck at her pulse, feeling it quicken immediately. That's when he knew that she felt it too. They had been married for two and a half years, known each other for almost four, and had been romantically involved for almost three and a half. Yet in that moment, it all came together. This was their honeymoon. They were finally showing to everyone, at least those on this island, that they were married – they were each other's half.

Brennan was never one to go by her emotions. But in that moment that was the only thing ruling over her. She brought her husband's hand up to her breast and immediately felt the pleasure of his hands. She moaned loudly and that was the breaking point for both of them. This was their honeymoon, damn it. They could act like horny teenagers if they wanted to.

Brennan pressed her backside into her husband's arousal as he started to suck on her earlobe. Booth grunted at the pressure and decided that he couldn't wait any longer. Screw foreplay. Booth turned his wife around immediately and grabbed her by the ass to lift her up until she wrapped her legs around his waist. He slowly let his hand drift up her thigh as he kissed her passionately.

Booth however stopped everything when… "Brennan, you're not wearing any underwear." Brennan looked into her husband's eyes as she watched them darken with pure lust.

She slowly began to unbuckle his pants as she answered, "I knew we would be engaging in intercourse rather quickly – although I didn't expect it to be this quickly, not that I'm complaining. So I found it rational to be prepared with the least amount of delay as possible. Taking off my undergarments, however skillful you've become, takes time that we can spend doing much more pleasureable things. Like this." With that she brought her hand around him and squeezed.

Booth's eyes shut tightly as he tried to control himself. He didn't want to be rough with their official 'first time' on their honeymoon, but the way his wife was acting it was becoming rather difficult to control himself. Thankfully, she released him after the first time and brought her fingers to scrape at his scalp. He felt her lips against his and he allowed her tongue entrance as he slowed down their pace. He slowly made his way down to the column of her neck as she dragged her nails down his neck and worked their way under his shirt and took it off.

Brennan couldn't take it anymore though as Booth pressed his arousal against her core. She needed her husband to make love to her. So, as Booth started to kiss his way down to her heaving chest, she huskily told him, "Seeley, make love to your wife. Prove to me how much you love me."

Booth stopped his ministrations to look directly in Brennan's eyes. They showed lust and wanting, but most of all pure love and happiness. Booth brought his lips down and kissed his wife passionately, all the while Brennan finally brought down his pants and boxers. Right there, in the middle of their bungalow, against the marble island, they made love for the first time on their honeymoon. As Booth entered her, he made sure to take it slow; he wanted to completely satisfy his wife. He could feel her walls contracting around him after only a few seconds. This was one thing he loved about his wife; she was always so receptive to him. She huskily said in his ear as she clung to him, "Oh, Seeley…Seeley…love you…so much…Mmmm…Seeley!"

He loved hearing his first name come out of her mouth. He had always hated his name. But when she said it, it just sounded perfect. As she came back down from her orgasm, Booth started to make her cum again. She was still tingling from her first one when she felt her second one coming along with her husband's heavy breathing. "Bones, you…are amazing baby…Cum for me again…Cum with me…my wife." He nearly growled out the last part as he felt her walls clench around him. He started to move faster and faster, holding back until he heard and felt his wife scream out her release, then he too final let his seed release into her.

~BONES~

Brennan lazily stretched out on the bed. She had always known that her husband had excellent stamina ever since she met him, but he definitely showed her last night and all into the morning how good his stamina was. Brennan smiled at the memory of them last night after their 'encounter' on the marble island. He sure knew how to make her feel completely satisfied and yet still want more. Like right then.

She had only gotten three hours of sleep and they had been there for a good seven hours already. Brennan rolled over until she faced her husband. She would never get tired of calling him that. All throughout her adulthood, she thought that love – this kind of love – was only chemical, having to do with hormones. Then she met him, more precisely he saved her. He saved her in more ways than she thought was possible.

Brennan looked at her engagement ring and wedding band that she forgot to take off last night. She was never one to wear rings, but she really did love to wear her wedding band and engagement ring. Her engagement ring was modest, nothing gaudy or outrageous, it was exactly her. Which made no sense but complete sense to her. She started to make slow, lazy circles across Booth's abdomen as she thought back to when he proposed to her…

Booth had taken her to a Flyers' game. It was for something called the Stanley Cup and it was the final game. Although she still didn't understand why a cup would be named 'Stanley'. She found that he liked hockey very much in their time of dating. She had actually grown to like it too, even though she still could never get the terminology right. There they were, both donning Flyers jerseys with only five seconds left on the clock and their team had the puck. Both she and Booth were standing watching as one of the Flyers' players swung and hit the puck. She heard Booth scream out in joy. "We won baby!" Booth leaned down and kissed her quickly, then went back to celebrating. Brennan laughed at how happy Booth looked. He could get excited about the most ridiculous things.

Booth had been working with the FBI as a Special Agent for almost a year by then and he'd grown accustomed to carrying his gun and badge with him concealed, wherever he went, which included this event. Brennan had yelled at Booth that she was going to get out of the stadium because she was surely go to lose her hearing from all the shouting and cheering, he would find her out by the doors. Booth being the gentleman he was, told her he would go with her so that they could leave. She of course told him to not be ridiculous. He should stay and celebrate with his fellow fans. She smiled at him and knew then that he would agree. She grabbed their garbage and threw it out as she exited the arena.

While she waited she checked her voice messages. One was from the Jeffersonian, the wanted her to come in for an interview. That was definitely worth celebrating. She finished checking her messages just as a crowd of people exited the doors. Some fans from the other team were becoming extremely rowdy and vocal about their anger over their loss. Brennan knew she could take care of herself against one assailant, but the way that those men were looking at her she was actually afraid for her well being.

Relief had washed over her when she spotted Booth exit behind them, with only a few other people ahead of him. Brennan started to walk toward him, but she had to walk past the group of men. Before she could though, three men came in-between her and Booth. One rather drunk man slightly slurred, "Hey, look what we have here fellas. A Flyers fan. You're a pretty little thing." He reached out to grab hold of Brennan's chin, but she slapped it away immediately.

"Don't touch me. Now move you are in my way."

The man looked at her with wide eyes. "You bitch! What you think you're too good for me?"

Brennan glared at him. She looked behind him to find Booth but the crowd had grown immensely since the last time she looked behind him. She couldn't see him anywhere. "I know I'm too good for you in fact. No sane woman would want to deal with you in such a state. Now I'm asking you nicely, move out of my way." Brennan made a move to step around him but the man wouldn't take a hint. All of a sudden, he pushed her hard. She almost lost her balance, but she collided with one of the man's friends. Brennan looked around and saw that she was surrounded by them.

Now she knew why Booth didn't want her to be alone. These men were very sore losers. The man was relatively fast for being drunk, since Brennan did not expect the slap that went across her cheek. She fell to the floor and that was when all hell broke loose. She remembered a fellow Flyers fan yell at them to leave her alone. She started to get enraged that the man hit her. But before she could get up to defend herself she felt very strong hands lifting her up to her feet. She then felt his hand on her face inspecting it. She knew it was Booth the moment he touched her.

Booth whispered hoarsely, "Bones, are you hurt? Did they hurt you?"

Brennan shook her head, "Booth he just pushed and slapped me. That man handles himself exceptionally well for being drunk, I was not expecting that."

The drunken man yelled at the prick he saw being a 'hero' to the bitch he was dealing with. "Hey, you prick! This is between me and the little lady. Just leave us alone." He started to walk toward them when Booth glared at him.

"You come any closer and I'll shoot you. You should be happy you aren't on the ground flat on your ass." Booth then turned back to Brennan and inspected her more closely. It didn't look like the man had done anything, except for the slight pink mark across her cheek. "I'm sorry Bones, I should have been out here with you. I knew how these guys could get. Forgive me, please?"

While this was happening, the man stood there shocked. How dare this man talk to him like that! He yelled, "I said get away from her you dick!" He started to walk forcefully toward them. A crowd had started to form around them, some even calling for security.

Booth had had enough. This man dare hit his woman and then try to hurt her some more. In one fast move, he pulled out his gun and turned so that his whole body covered Brennan's, pointing the gun at the man's head. "I told you to not come any closer." Booth heard some women scream in the crowd. The drunken man's eyes widened as he slowly raised his hands.

"Whoa, dude, settle down. She's nobody important to get all worked over. Just some bitch with a big mouth. I was just putting her in her place." Booth did not like that at all. He cocked his gun to show the man he wasn't kidding.

Brennan rolled her eyes as she stepped in front of Booth. "Booth put away your gun. He didn't hurt me! Plus he's not even worth shooting."

Booth ignored her though as he continued to look (glare) at the man. "You don't disrespect woman. You have wanna pick a fight with someone, make it an even fight."

As Booth said that three policemen came running over with the guns drawn pointed all at Booth. "Sir, put down the weapon!"

Booth told them sternly without breaking eye contact with the drunk. "I'm FBI, Agent Seeley Booth. This man here physically assaulted this woman right here. Arrest him or I will." He then pulled out his badge and showed the guards.

The drunk man and his friends looked like they were about to shit their pants at the mention of the FBI. Booth found great satisfaction in that reaction.

Brennan sighed, "Booth, this really is not necessary." Yet, as she said that, the security guards holstered their guns and walked over to the group of men and handcuffed them.

Booth gave the officers a curt nod and holstered his own gun. He then reached for Brennan's hand. "Come on, we're going." They didn't talk while they walked to the car and for a good portion of the ride back to Brennan's place.

She didn't know how to talk to him like this. She'd never seen him act like that before, so irrational. Brennan was watching the people on the sidewalks, lost in thought, when Booth spoke suddenly. "Marry me."

Brennan whipped her head around completely surprised. "What?"

Booth stopped at a red light, conveniently, and turned to look at her. She saw that he still looked angry, at whom, she didn't know. "Marry me."

Brennan looked at him for a few seconds processing what he said. They were shocked to hear a horn honk at them, signaling the green light. Booth looked back to the road and started driving. Brennan did the same thing, looking straight forward in a state of shock. Booth had just her to marry him. No, he didn't even ask her. He almost commanded her to. "Why?"

Booth didn't look at when he said, "Why what?"

Brennan was now getting mad. "Why now? Why should I marry you? Why are you even asking?"

Booth pulled over abruptly. Brennan took the opportunity to get out of the SUV. It had become very suffocating in there. Booth followed her outside immediately and came over to her side of the car as she started to pace back and forth. "What do you mean by that? I'm asking because I love you!"

Brennan shook her head. "No! That's not the real reason. I've known you've loved me for a long time. What's the real reason Booth?"

Booth ran his hand through his hair. He had so many reasons but only one reason that really mattered. He placed his hands against the hood of his car and blew out a sigh. This was not how he planned it.

Brennan had watched Booth for a few minutes in silence. She was tired of waiting. "See, you don't have a reason! You can't even think of one. I'm leaving. Don't follow me Booth. And don't call me."

Booth looked up shocked to see Brennan's retreating figure. He ran up to her and grabbed her arm. "Brennan, wait! I have a lot of reasons, I do. It's just…"

Brennan spun around enraged. "What Booth! What are you still searching for a lie? You just want to claim ownership of me. I will not…"

Booth silenced her with a searing kiss, which Brennan immediately pulled away from and slapped him. Booth grabbed the side she just slapped, shock etched his features. "No Booth. Don't you dare do that! Don't be a coward. Don't…" Booth then saw the tears in her eyes, "Just don't."

Booth gently brought her into a hug and she started to cry softly. "Bren, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. This wasn't how I planned on doing this. It's just, when I saw that man hit you, I was filled rage. I wanted to kill him. I never felt so out of control in my life." He brought Brennan's face in-between his hands and gently wiped away her tears. "You are my world Temperance. In that moment, I saw that I can't live without you in my life. I love you Temperance, so much." Booth saw the sadness leave her eyes as he slowly got down on one knee. "Temperance Brennan. You mean everything to. I would die for you, I would kill for you. You are my Bones. I can see us living together, loving each other in 50, 60 and 70 years. You are the one for me. You are the world to me. Temperance, you are my heart. I'm asking you Temperance if you would like to become my partner, my wife? Will you marry me?" With that he pulled out a ring from his pants pocket.

Brennan looked down at Booth. She saw the man she loved very much just bear his soul to her. They had already been through so much together within the past year. But marriage, that was saying that they would still be in love with each other in 50, 60 or 70 years. And she can't tell the future. Neither could Booth. Yet… "Booth…You know how I feel about marriage, yet you still asked me." She watched Booth's head drop, expecting the rational answer. Brennan knelt down and nudged him to look at her. "That proves, to me, that you would risk the most important thing of all." She then placed her hand where his heart is. "Your heart – figuratively speaking of course." That made Booth laugh a little. Brennan smiled at him. "You're willingly to accept the pain of my rejection because of your love for me, for us." Brennan brought out her left hand for him to place the ring on it. "Booth, for that reason I would love to be your partner, your wife. That, and the fact that I'm in love with you."

Booth laughed as he glided the ring on her finger. They both stood up, Booth bringing her into a scorching kiss.

Booth woke up to his wife's fingers gently circling his abdomen. He opened his eyes to see her eyes off-focused looking into space with a small smile on her face. "What are you thinking about Bren?"

Brennan looked at Booth and her smile widened. "Hmmm, I'm just thinking about the night you proposed to me."

Brennan started to kiss her way up his abdomen as he mumbled huskily, "Oh, really? Thinking of how I totally messed up my proposal?"

Brennan was now face to face with Booth as she rested half her body on him. Her hair was pushed to one side as she chuckled at Booth. "I don't think you messed up your proposal."

Booth smiled at her softly and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "You don't. What do you think it was then?"

Brennan kissed him softly on the lips before she whispered, "It was the perfect thing for you to say. It's why I said yes."

Booth laughed as he rolled them over so he was now on top of her. "And here I thought you married me for my looks."

Brennan shook her head and laughed with him. "Stop talking Booth…" With that Brennan pulled Booth closer to her and started to kiss him. She could feel Booth laughing slightly as they continued kissing. Booth smiled as he kissed his wife thinking, This is going to be one hell of a honeymoon.

~BONES~

The couple strolled down the boardwalk holding hands. It was there last day on their honeymoon, with which most of it was spent inside their bungalow, and they wanted to see the actual island one time before they left. Brennan saw something in one of the little stores that she just had to get. "Booth, look."

Before Booth knew what was happening, his wife was leading him inside a small store to a display on the wall. "Booth we have to get this for Parker, he'll love it!" He looked down to see what she was holding in her hands and saw that she held medium sized skateboard with a lion's face in the center. "He's been asking for one and you know if he starts now, he could be quite good when he gets older. Plus we could supervise him when we go to parks, instead of him trying it on one of his friends' skateboards."

Booth smiled at his wife and leant down, kissing her softly. "Bren, Parks is only four. I don't think he's ready for skateboarding."

Brennan looked down at the skateboard in her hands. "I don't know. My brother started to skateboard when he was only three, well at least that's what him and my father told me. Parker is less likely to actually hurt himself now as well, then if he started when he was older." Booth chuckled softly. Brennan loved Parker a lot. She always made sure that he knew that and that she would always love him no matter what happened. Which was probably why she was going to by him the skateboard, because she loved him. He so wasn't going to let her down, "Okay, let's get Parker the skateboard." Brennan smiled brightly at him. "But he can't use it until he turns five, I don't want Becca to take him away from me because he gets hurt on that darn thing."

Brennan nodded earnestly, "Don't worry Booth. I'll teach him how to keep his balance and what to do if he were to fall, to cause the least amount of damage." Brennan eagerly went to the owner and hand over the amount due for the board as Booth waited for her at the door. He was inspecting it thoughtfully as she wrapped her hands around his arm.

They started to walk back to their place as Booth noted, "He really will like this Bones. You're going to make his day."

Brennan smiled softly, "We'll need to buy the protective gear for him though. Helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and perhaps even those gloves to protect his palms." Booth kissed the top of her head as they continued to walk to the bungalow.

"I love you Temperance."

~BONES~

After a night full of showing each other how much they loved each other, the couple was in an airplane again heading back home. Brennan was excited to get back home while Booth had been dragging his feet the whole time. Sure, she loved going on a honeymoon and just being with her husband, but she also loved her work. She was also excited to give Parker his gift. Booth still had three days off from work and she had "suggested" to Rebecca that Booth have Parker those three days so they could spend some time together since he couldn't see him the weekend they were away. So when they landed they were going to go straight to pick up Parker and spend the rest of the day just relaxing and "hanging out" – as Booth like to call it.

Brennan sleepily placed her head on her husband's shoulder as the plane leveled off in the sky. She smiled lazily thinking about how different her life would be if she hadn't met Booth before they were partners. She felt complete, whole. She had a family. That was something she lived without for many years since her parents' disappearance. Without warning she passionately kissed her husband, who – at first was shocked – started to reciprocate. After the need for air became apparent they broke apart. After filling his lungs with air, Booth looked down at his wife and asked with his Booth-y smile, "What was that for?"

Brennan smiled slightly, "That was me thanking you."

Booth was now confused. His brow furrowed, "For what babe?"

Brennan pecked him on his lips before she answered, "For giving me a family."

 **Was that too mushy? I think it was, but meh! It is what it is. Let me know what you think. And how'd you like the proposal. Snuck a little of David love (and mine as well) with the Flyers game. Now you know who long they've been together, but how did they meet you may ask. Well you'll just have to wait to find out.**

 **LOOK! I totally included Parker in this one, a little. Well not Parker himself.**

 **Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter up soon. I'm not too thrilled about this .5 chapter. I know my other ones will come out MUCH better. I also know one will be full of angst. O.O Which one could this be? Again you'll have to wait to find out! Reviews make my day and help me write just a little bit faster! *hint hint*wink wink***


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – A Man on Death Row**

Booth sat across from Bones in the interrogation room. He was enjoying himself a little too much probably with this situation. "Name?"

Brennan looked at him exasperated. "You know my name."

Booth shot her his charm smile. "Bones, you are making an official request to the FBI to be allowed to carry a concealed weapon. I have to follow protocol."

Brennan huffed a little, "It's ridiculous."

Booth shrugged his shoulders. He would do anything for his wife, but he had to go by the book on this one. "Fine, then we're done here. Do you wanna get some coffee…?"

Brennan rolled her eyes at Booth's response. "My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan-Booth."

Booth had almost forgotten that she had officially changed her last name. Damn, what was he going to do about that? "I'm just going to put down, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Reason for wanting a gun?"

Brennan gave him a deadpan stare. "To shoot people."

Booth smirked and shook his head, "Not a good response."

Brennan sighed, "It's the truth."

Booth nearly glared at her. Did she have to be so difficult? "You know, I'm writing 'self defence in the performance of my duties pursuing suspected felons as contracted out to the FBI.'"

Brennan added, "So I can shoot them."

Booth shot her a glare as he asked, "Ever been charged with a felony?"

Brennan huffed, "Charged, or convicted?"

Booth sighed. He needed to follow protocol. "Charged."

Brennan was the one to glare at him now. "You know I have."

Booth gave her another look, "I have to ask the questions."

Brennan mumbled under her breath, "Bureaucratic nonsense."

Booth looked down as he said, "Nevertheless, name of the arresting officer?"

Brennan was getting mad now. "You… " When he looked up at her exasperated she sighed, "Special Agent Seeley Booth. Do you need me to spell that for you?"

Booth could have just laughed at that, but said, "I can sound that out."

Brenna sat up straighter, eager. "So when do I get the gun?"

Booth sighed heavily as he grabbed the stamp. He pressed down and stamped the word 'DENIED' in red across the form. He held it up for Brennan to see, "You can't have a gun." He may have said that a little too happily.

Brennan couldn't believe Booth would deny her a gun. "Wha…Why not?"

Booth explained short and sweetly, "Because you were charged with a felony."

No this was not right. Brennan wanted a gun. "Write down that you were wrong to charge me."

Booth was not going to let his wife have a gun. "Oh, there's no space for that."

That's when it dawned on Brennan that Booth was never going to… "Why'd we go through all of this if you were never going to give me a gun?"

Booth threw her his charm smile. "You have a constitutional right to apply for a weapon. I would never deny your constitutional right."

Brennan couldn't believe him. "But I need a gun!"

Booth tried his hardest to keep a straight face. "Rules are rules."

Brennan tapped her finger incessantly on the form. "Tell them that I shot a murderer who was going to light me on fire."

Booth was having an extremely hard time not cracking a smile at how persistent his wife was. "Which is why you weren't convicted. But you did shoot an unarmed man. I… I can't ignore that. I swore an oath to protect society from people who shoot people."

Brennan just wanted to strangle him. "It was only his leg, and he's in jail for the rest of his life, how much is he gonna use it anyway?"

Booth decided to throw her a small breadcrumb. "You have the right to an appeal."

Brennan liked the sound of that. "To whom?" Booth just shakes his head ever so slightly because he doesn't trust himself not to laugh. Brennan doesn't believe it! "Cullen?" Booth nods his head and gives her an 'innocent' look. Brennan knew now that she was never going to get a gun, "I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me."

Booth couldn't help the small smile come across his face as he sad, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right." As they left the room Booth tried to lift her spirits up, "Bones, you don't need a gun. If anyone needs shooting, I'll do it."

Brennan thought of some scenarios. "What if you're injured or dead, and someone still needs shooting?" At Booth's look, she added quickly, "Well, I'm not hoping it'll happen, I'm just stating a possibility."

Booth just wanted end this conversation. "Come on, you know what, Bones? You're a professor; you're not an FBI agent. Use your mutant powers… just talk people to death." As Booth turned he just wanted to groan.

Amy Morton smiles sweetly at Booth, amused. "Am I interrupting?"

Booth brought his hands to his waist and sighed loudly, "I told them not to let you in this building. I gave them your picture."

Amy raised an eyebrow and said smartly, "Which is why I wore the tiny skirt."

Booth glared at her slightly and said as he passed her to get to his desk, "Very cute."

Amy extended her hand at Brennan when she entered the room, "Amy Morton."

Brennan shook her hand as she shot Booth a worried look. She knew who Amy was. "Temperance Brennan."

Amy chatted her up. "You work with Booth?"

Brennan looked away from her trying to hide her own disdain. "Yes, I'm a forensic anthropologist."

Amy smirked, "I'm a defense lawyer. I tend to work against Booth."

Booth didn't like Amy chatting with Bones. He grabbed a file off his desk as he said, "If it's all the same, I'd prefer you two didn't bond in any way."

Brennan didn't want to either, so she told Booth. "Hey, I want to get back to the lab. You said I could fill out some gun reapplication forms."

Booth looked through one of his files and grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to her. "Yeah. Send it back by courier." He walked her to the door with his hand on the small of her back. This conversation with Amy was not going to end well her knew it. He told Brennan, "No hurry."

Brennan looked back at Amy as she left and offered tightly, "Nice to meet you." That's his Bones.

~BONES~

Angela walked over to Brennan and asked, "Sure you don't want to come? Troy can call a friend."

Brennan almost snorted at that, but then she remembered Angela didn't know about Booth. "I've been waiting months for these. It's a partial skeleton from southern France. The Institute…"

Angela just stared at her blankly, "You know, the whole point of the week is the weekend. This is not the cabaret, my friend. Life is the cabaret. Come to the cabaret." Brennan gives her a confused look. "It's like describing the moon to a mole." She rolls her eyes and started to walk away.

At that moment Booth walked in, in search for Bones. "Mmm. Angela, looking good."

Angela smiled broadly at him as she shot back, "And don't I know it."

Booth than saw what Hodgins and Zach were doing, "Okay, our tax dollars hard at work. "

Hodgins shots him a glare, "Yeah, what's break time at the FBI? Book burning?" Booth had two options, ignore him or… He placed the beaker over one of the beetles in hopes it was his. By Hodgins exclamation, "No!" he guessed right.

Booth came up to Brennan and asked honestly, "Hey Bones, what are you doing this weekend?" They hadn't made any definite plans to do anything, so hopefully…

Brennan looked up surprised at his question. "I have plans."

Booth looked at her surprised. Really? "Come on, I'm serious."

Brennan looked over at Hodgins and Zach and then gave Booth a look to play along. She really was getting quite good at her acting skills. "Between your girlfriend, the corporate lawyer and the defense lawyer on the side, your weekend must be completely booked. What is your thing with lawyers?" Brennan had started to walk toward her office to provide them with some privacy.

Booth just straight into the reason he was there. "Look, you know seven years ago a 17-year-old girl, April Wright, was found beaten to death in a federal park. Amy's just trying to stop the guy who did it from being executed. "

Brennan looked around slightly and saw that people were still around them. So she tried to not sound knowledgeable about what Booth was saying, "So I guess we're not pursuing your lawyer obsession?"

Booth sighed, "No, Amy doesn't think he did it."

Brennan looked back and whispered softly, affectionately, "And what does this have to do with you, Booth? You closed that case."

Booth snorted, "Oh, well, if Amy's client is deep-sixes and she doesn't turn over every stone…"

Brennan nodded her slightly, now understanding. "And you're one of her stones." They walked into her office and she sat down before she gave Booth a good look. "Do you still think he did it?"

Without even having to think about it Booth answered a solid, "Yes."

Brennan nodded her head. Good, at least he didn't doubt himself. "What's her reasoning?"

Booth had never really gone into detail about this case just that this son of a bitch deserved to die. "There was a pubic hair that wasn't accounted for. "

Brennan looked at him confused. "Pubic hair? Sounds like a job for the FBI crime lab." So why was he here?

Booth didn't know why he came here either. Maybe he was doubting… "It's a weekend deal. Off the books. But if you have plans…"

He was retreating and Brennan knew it. "Wait. This is a personal favor you're asking? Why?"

Booth wasn't sure what he was asking anymore. Why was he even doing this? "Not for me, for Amy."

Brennan knew that would lure him in. "Well, your personal favor would be for Amy, but mine would be for you, strictly speaking."

Booth walked back up to her desk and asked softly. He needed to reaffirm his stance. "Please do me a favor. Please?"

Brennan looked into his eyes and saw his inner struggle. He needed this and she was willing to give it. She'd do anything for him. She silently asked for him to pass her the file. As she flipped through it she asked, "Any remains withheld from burial?"

Booth shook his head, "Not after the last appeal."

Brennan nodded slowly as she studied his face a little bit longer. Okay, she was going to do this. "I'd need x-rays from the ME and the coroner. Originals, the copies are useless. Bone scrapings, lab results, tox screens."

Booth smiled slightly at her, thanking her silently, "All the evidence will be here within an hour."

Brennan looked back at the file and said, "I'll ask the others, but I won't order them. They might have plans."

Booth wanted to roll his eyes at that idea. "It's Friday night, and they're racing beetles."

Brennan looked at him again at the sound in his voice. He really needed this. "How much time do we have?"

Booth looked down at his watch and said, "Howard Epps will be executed in 30 hours and 23 minutes."

~BONES~

Booth looked at Brennan in shock almost, "That was April Wright's father.

Brennan looked up immediately, worried, "A murder victim's dad called you?"

Booth rubbed the back of his neck as he nodded, "His wife's a wreck. They heard that Amy's angling for a last minute reprieve."

Hodgins came up to them and asked Booth, "Why did he call you?"

Brennan answered without thinking, "Because Booth was the agent that arrested Howard Epps in the first place."

Booth looked at her in terror. They needed to cover this up. So he told her giving her a look of apprehension, "You know, I'm pretty sure that that evidence is not in the file."

Brennan's eyes grew slightly wide at what Booth said. Crap, she slipped. She thought fast on her feet and said, "Earlier you said 'it's a phone number that we found on the girl.'"

Hodgins completely missed their scramble to cover themselves when he heard that Booth was the arresting officer. He laughed as he said, "Wait. You're trying to save someone you arrested for murder?"

Booth finally spoke his worst fear. "Alright, you know, I think he did it. I think this scumbag bashed April Wright to death with a tire iron." There it was out, now all he had to do was prove to himself again that he was right.

Brennan looked at Booth with concern. She didn't like it when he doubted himself. It was unlike him. She spoke softly, "Booth, we've found some anomalies in the prosecution's case. Do you want us to stop now before these anomalies become meaningful?"

Booth shook his head. No he needed the truth. "No. Stay on it. I gotta get going."

~BONES~

Brennan didn't like that it looked like she was building a case against Booth. She wanted the truth, but she didn't want to hurt Booth in the process either. She also didn't like this Amy person. Which was why she was surprised when Amy suddenly asked, "So, are you seeing each other?"

Brennan continued to stare out her window. "Who?"

Amy looked over at Brennan amused. "You and Booth."

Brennan was shocked to say the least that Amy picked that up. "No." She snorted, trying to play it cool like a pickle. "No, we're working together."

Amy looked over at her and tried to hide her smile, "Cause I'm picking up a bit of a sex vibe."

Brennan breathed out a sigh of relief and lied smoothly, "No, that's tension. He has a girlfriend."

Amy sighed wistfully, "Tall, blonde, beautiful?"

Brennan smiled to herself, happy that Booth had thought of this lie. Even though technically no one else knew that Tessa was out of the picture. "A lawyer."

Amy nodded slightly, "Figures." She smiled at the next words she said, "Should've jumped him when I had the chance."

Brennan couldn't help the irrational tinge of triumph that she had Booth and no one else, when she asked, "You're really interested in Booth?"

Amy looked at her in surprise. "You aren't?"

Brennan answered quickly, resolutely, "No."

Amy didn't get it. If she wasn't interested… "Well then why are you helping him?"

Brennan answered with a half truth. "Because he asked me. He said please."

Amy laughed at that. "Come on. You think he's hot."

Brennan had a harder time denying that one, because Booth was definitely very appealing. "No. Not at all. This is a very interesting case."

Amy looked at her for a second and then nodded, "Booth did say you had some kind of mania for the truth."

Brennan did not like her being described like that, especially by her husband. "Mania? As in maniac?"

Amy tried to cover her tracks, "I'm not sure he meant it as a bad thing. Which obviously is how you're taking it."

~BONES~

Amy walked up to Booth and almost whispered, "If you tell the judge you've changed your mind, that Howard Epps is not guilty…"

Brennan turned around in concern. Had Booth really… "Have you changed your mind?"

Booth shook his head, "No. I have doubts that the guy should be executed, but… " He just looked at Bones and decided, "Let's go see the judge." He needed the whole truth, just like Brennan taught him.

Brennan on the other hand couldn't believe what she just heard. She hoped she was wrong because that meant Booth was doubting himself. And she didn't like that idea.

~BONES~

Judge Cohen turned to Booth and asked, "Agent Booth. Have you suddenly decided that Howard Epps is not guilty?"

Booth shook his head. "No."

Amy couldn't believe him. "Booth!"

Booth looked at Amy and then back at the judge seriously, "I think there are doubts, and when it comes to an execution, there shouldn't be any doubts."

Carlyle snorted, "He doesn't have doubts, he has cold feet. "

Booth glared at the attorney, "You think I won't pop you one just because we're standing in the judge's kitchen?" Brennan looked at Booth in shock. This case was really starting to get to him. Booth just smiled in return. That felt good to say.

Cohen pointed at Booth. "You see? You lose sleep, you get cranky. Judgement suffers. It's not enough."

Amy didn't give up though, "Your Honor, you can't dismiss this so easily."

Cohen was enraged by that, "Easily? I allowed you to exhume that girl's remains. Do you think I did that easily? We all feel the weight of a capital case, Ms Morton, but the law is clear. Unless there is proof of grievous incompetence by counsel, or a denial of legitimate and definitive factual certainties, my hands are tied."

~BONES~

Booth was driving his SUV back to drop off Amy when she said, "I'll go out to the prison and tell Epps."

Brennan wasn't doing this for Amy, "I'll take another look at the skull, see if we didn't miss something."

Booth looked back and tried to stop her. It was over they wouldn't get the poof. "Bones…"

Brennan shook her head. "The particulates in the skull still haven't been analyzed yet." She knew Booth needed to be 100% sure of this or it would be on his conscious the rest of his life. She knew him.

Amy sighed angrily, "This is so barbaric. When are they gonna put a stop to the damn death penalty?"

Brennan sat back a said softly, "I believe in the death penalty."

Amy didn't believe her ears. "What?"

Brennan leaned forward a little, emotional. "There are certain people that shouldn't be in this world. The people who hacked hundreds of innocent children to death in Rwanda, beheaded them at their desks at school. The people who did that? They should be executed."

Amy was shocked a little. "So why do you care about Epps?"

Brennan didn't care per-se, "Because the facts have to add up. Drop me at the lab, please." Booth smiled slightly at Bones. That was his girl, always searching for the truth.

~BONES~

Cullen looked at one of his best FBI Agents and asked, "He admits to having sex with her?"

Booth sat on the table right next to Bones. He needed to be near her, he needed her support because this was getting to him. "Yes sir."

Cullen asked, "Did he kill her?"

Booth answered honestly, "Well he's either telling the truth, or he's setting up his defense." But he didn't think he killed her.

Cullen paced slowly, "So April Wright met David Ross for a sexual liaison. He took her to a second, unknown location, beat her to death, and deposited the body back at the park. That's sketchy."

Brennan jumped in, "Which is why we have to find the murder weapon."

Cullen sat down and said in disbelief, "Find a tire iron in a marsh after seven years? That's a long shot."

Booth needed this and that was enough for Brennan to fight for this, even against a man that didn't like her. "That's why we need metal detectors and GPR."

Booth just wanted to kiss his wife. She became so passionate when she was trying to do the right thing, bring justice. "And a dozen or so agents, sir."

Cullen looked at the two for a few seconds before he said, "And if you find this tire iron, you can positively identify it as the murder weapon?"

Brennan nodded, "It's possible we can match the traces we found in April's skull."

Cullen looked at her blankly, "Possible? No. Howard Epps' lawyer should present this argument to the judge and let him decide." Brennan couldn't believe this. Couldn't Cullen see that booth needed to finish this? He needed to tie up the loose ends.

Booth shook his head and looked away. Cullen wasn't going to budge. "Sir, without the murder weapon, he will not stay the execution."

Cullen knew that this was hard on his agent; it would be hard on any good agent. "Way out on a limb here, Booth."

Brennan couldn't take it anymore. "He's just trying to find the truth. Why should he be penalized for…?" Cullen sent her a look that shut her up.

Cullen looked between the two people sitting in front of him. She was fighting for his agent. Why would she do that? Cullen didn't know, but he had his suspicions, so he sighed and said, "Take the equipment and the men you need."

Booth felt a jolt of joy at Cullen's words. He stood up immediately and wrapped his hands around Brennan's shoulders, standing her up as he said, "Thank you sir."

Cullen spun around after standing. He had a clause though, "She can't have a gun."

Booth nodded, "No gun. Absolutely not. No gun. Thank you, sir." He led Bones out of the room and toward the elevators. The elevator doors opened and allowed them entrance. Thankfully they were the only ones in there.

Once the doors slid shut, Booth came up to Brennan and cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. After some seconds of them kissing passed, Booth pulled away and rested his forehead against her own. He smiled at her and whispered, "Thank you Bones."

Brennan looked at him in confusion, "For what?"

"For fighting for me. I know you know how much I need this. I can see it in your eyes. Thank you. I don't know how I'll ever make this up to you." Booth kissed her again softly.

This time Brennan pulled away to whisper, "Your welcome Booth. That's what partners do for each other." She kissed him gently before saying, "I just want you to have no regrets, no doubts. I don't like seeing you upset like this." She then gave him a sultry look and whispered, "And I can think of a few ways for you to make it up to me."

Booth chuckled and kissed Brennan again, but he had to pull away quickly because he heard the elevator ding, indicating their arrival downstairs. He and Brennan shared a look and a secret smile as they exited the elevators, their fingers grazing each other ever so slightly.

~BONES~

Brennan began digging gently when she looked up and saw that Booth wasn't helping her, "Are you gonna help?"

Booth smiled weakly, "Well I would, but this is a $1200 suit."

Brennan couldn't believe how her husband was acting. But then she saw the look in his eyes, he was nervous. She needed to push him, just like he had pushed her when she was scared or nervous. "Are you kidding me Booth? I haven't slept in 48 hours and you're worried about your suit? I'll buy you a new one. Get over here."

Booth started to take off his suit jacket and said, "Fine. Can I get a shovel?" An agent handed him one and he murmured, "Thanks." Booth started to dig halfheartedly.

Brennan looked up and said softly, "Dig gently Booth. Small layers at a time." After a moment of silence, Brennan said almost whispering, "What plans did you have?"

Booth looked at her confused, "What?"

Brennan expounded, "If it were a normal weekend."

Booth shot her a look and whispered yelled, "You want to discuss this now?"

Brennan looked at him and he saw something in her eyes. "What would you being doing Booth? I mean, everyone thinks that you have multiple sex partners…"

And that's when Booth understood what he saw. She was scared because of how he was reacting to this case. He doubted himself, which is something he rarely ever does. And now she doubted herself. She started dusting something off when he whispered, "Bren, that's just what we make everyone else believe, you know that. I have never ever cheated on any woman that I've ever been with. Never. I would never cheat on you Temperance. Don't doubt that. Just because I have doubts about this case, doesn't mean I have doubts about us. I would never have doubts about us."

Brennan looked up relief flooding her eyes, because she had been having doubts. She didn't want to, but her rational side took over with great force when it came to their relationship sometimes. She just needed to reaffirm her beliefs, like Booth needed his. "I know, Booth. Thank you."

Booth kept digging and whispered back to her, "I'd probably take you out to see a movie, I know there was a drive-thru that was playing The Mummy. Or to that jazz club we like, to just dance." He saw Brennan smile softly at his words out of the corner of his eye. He looked and saw the smile fall as she picked up a skull and showed it to him. He looked down where he was digging and scooped out one last bit of dirt and saw another skull, "Okay, what the hell's going on here?"

~BONES~

Booth couldn't believe this. "We got played."

Brennan looked at him confused, "What? How?"

Booth watch Bones sit down tiredly as he explained, "Either way, Epps wins. We find Ross, the execution is stopped. We find these bodies… "

Brennan now saw it. "The execution is stayed until these murders are investigated." She let out a deep sigh. This was not good. They found the truth but…

Booth and Brennan stared into each others' eyes. Booth said as he held his phone, "If I don't make this call, he's gonna be dead in half an hour."

That sounded so tempting to both of them. However, Brennan looked back at the remains and she knew that wasn't right. "But these women, they deserve to be heard." Booth knew that, but goddammit he wanted this bastard dead. Brennan spoke softly when she said, "It's what we do, Booth. The rest…"

That made Booth smile. He knew what she was going to say. "Lawyers."

Brennan smiled right back at him. "Lawyers."

Booth nodded his head once and started dialing the phone number, "Amy, its Booth. I think we got you your stay of execution, but you're not gonna like it much." Brennan looked at him, sad. They got their justice. But somehow it didn't feel like it.

~BONES~

Sid walked up to the couple and saw how they looked, "What's the matter with you two?"

Booth took a sip of his drink and answered, "Bad day at work."

Sid shook his head. Would they ever learn? "Well that's what you get for working on weekends. You ever hear about taking some time off, having a little fun?"

Brennan smiled as she leaned into Booth's side, looking up at Sid asking, "Why, what'd you do?"

Sid snorted, "I'd be breaking about six different laws if I just told you how I maneuvered on my Saturday nights." All three laughed softly at that. Sid shook his head and told them, "But I will bring you some food."

Brennan shook her head. "I'm not hungry, Sid."

Sid gave her a look which caused both Booth and her to laugh again. "No use arguing with Sid, Bones."

Brennan looked up after taking a sip of her wine at Booth, "Are you in trouble with your boss?"

Booth moaned softly and rubbed his eyes. Was he ever. He brought his arm up and wrapped it around her shoulder and apologized, "I'm sorry for wrecking your weekend for nothing."

Brennan placed her head on his shoulder and entwined their fingers as she said, "No, not for nothing. "

Booth looked down at her and whispered, "Come on, you know what I mean Bren. You know, all that running around, it didn't change anything. Epps was guilty. He was always guilty."

Brennan squeezed his hand. "There was doubt. We had an obligation to respect that doubt. We all share in the death of every human being."

Booth smiled softly at that. "Very poetic, babe."

Brennan shook her head, "No, very literal. We all share DNA. When I look at a bone, it's not some artifact that I can separate from myself. It's a part of a person who got here the same way I did. It should never be easy to take someone's life. I don't care who it is." Brennan looked up to see Booth looking at her in awe, a slow smile spreading on his face. "What?" When he didn't answer and the smile grew some more she smiled back and asked again, "What?"

Booth snorted softly, "You know, you've been practicing your Nobel Prize speech just a little too much." Brennan smacked him on his chest and laughed softly. He brought her closer and kissed her on the top of her head and said softly, "God, I love you Bones."

Sid came out and smiled at his friends. "Scallops in Szechwan sauce, duck fried rice." A waitress placed it in front of Brennan and Sid placed Booth's food in front of him, "Apple pie, hot cup of Joe." The couple smiled at Sid as they looked down to see exactly what they wanted. Sid raised his glass and toasted, "To simple pleasures, my friends. Simple pleasures." All three of them toasted, smiling at each other.

Simple pleasures, indeed.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – The Girl in the Fridge**

Zach slowly brought down his attempt at a 'fist bump', when Angela smiled, amused at what she was seeing, "I love it when you two impersonate earthlings."

Hodgins walked in carrying a box. This was extremely abnormal start to his day, "Okay, now this is weird. There's some guy in the lounge who asked me to give you this." He handed it over to Brennan from across the table.

Angela perked up when she heard the word 'some guy' and saw the box. "Is he alive? Because this is an excellent start to a relationship."

Hodgins smiled, "I didn't put a mirror underneath his nose or anything." He then looked at Brennan and told her, "He said you'd know who he was when you opened it."

Brennan opened the package and pulled out a mini-Dust-buster. She paused, looking at the 'gift', trying to think of who would send her such an outrageous thing, when she remembered. She shoved the box at Zach and hurried out of the room to see if she was right. If she was, this was not good.

~BONES~

Brennan walked toward the upper lounge, stopped and looked up to see Michael. He was leaning against the railing when he called out to her, "You left it at my place."

Brennan couldn't believe that he actually stopped by to just drop that thing off to her, "Three years ago."

Michael tried to play that off. "Hmm. First time I've been in Washington. I thought I should return it in person."

Brennan didn't like having unexpected guest, especially ones she needed to prepare for. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Michael shrugged, "What if you didn't take my call? You're a big important author now."

Brennan, in that moment, thought of an excellent idea. Booth and she had been worried about the others finding out, so why not give them something to throw them off their tracks. This could definitely work for their advantage. "You can come down here, you know."

Michael smirked, "You could come up."

Brennan tried to make herself look happy to see him, giving him a half smile and then said, "Halfway."

Michael shook his head and laughed softly, "As always."

Michael came down the stairs while Brennan walked toward him. She said to him while walking, "I hope you don't have any expectations."

Michael asked back, "Do you?"

Brennan answered honestly, "Civility?" They after all didn't end their relationship (if you could call it that) well at the end.

Michael nodded in agreement, "I can handle that."

Brennan plastered on a smile, obviously trying to look happy to see him. "So why are you here?"

Michael told her, "George Washington University wants to talk to me about heading their Anthropology Department."

Brennan had give props were they were due, so she said to him, "They'd be lucky to get you."

Michael said with a hint of disdain in his voice, "I assumed they tried you first."

Brennan – never one to be modest – said honestly and proudly, "I already had a job."

They talked a little bit more when Brennan had an idea, "It seems like we should have dinner tonight, catch up?"

Michael smiled slightly. That was just what he wanted, "Sounds reasonable."

Booth walked into the lab looking for Bones. He decided the fast way of getting her attention was to yell, "Hey Bones!" Brennan turned her head to see Booth walking behind a rusted refrigerator that was being hauled by an FBI technician. "Whoa! Okay. Put it here. Easy." He started to turn toward Brennan when he continued, "Bones, I got a present for ya. Straight out of an illegal ravine on a dump in Fairfax." Brennan walked around Booth to stand in front of the refrigerator, "You see, our forensic people confirmed it was human matter. So, rather than open it myself and risk being trashed by you for contaminating the evidence, I decided to bring the whole refrigerator to you." He smiled at her wondering what Michael was doing there.

Booth heard Hodgins murmur, "What we need is a toaster oven."

He glared at him slight and cleared his throat, "Bones?"

Brennan walked up to the fridge and sniffed around the door. "The body's going to be mostly decomposed."

Angela made a sound of disgust, "Which is my cue to leave."

She was walking away when Michael said, "This is where it gets fun."

Brennan stepped back and motioned at Booth, "All right, you can open it."

Booth nodded his head, "All right." He pried open the fridge door with a crow bar. Inside were the partially liquefied remains of a decomposing skeleton. Booth stepped back as Brennan moved closer. "Whoa, okay. Uh, he or she?"

Brennan knelt down. "She."

Michael added his observations, "Late teens, early 20s."

Brennan told Booth, "I'm guessing she's been in the refrigerator for a year." She looked back at Hodgins and asked, "Is there enough insect activity to help us be more precise?"

Hodgins swabbed the corpse and said, "There's always enough insect activity."

Brennan nodded her head. She hoped Booth wouldn't get mad at the next thing she was going to say. "Remove and clean the bones, Zack. Michael, you can pick me up at 7:30. I'll give you my address." Brennan stood up and started to walk away, not waiting to see Booth's reaction. She would explain it to him later.

Michael gave the corpse one last look before he said, "Beautiful lab."

Michael walked away, following Brennan when she said, "Thanks."

Booth watched the two of them interact and didn't know what to think. He knew that Michael had been Brennan's old boyfriend before they had been together (and he convinced Brennan that a monogamist relationship was good, that had been tough on both of them.) But was she really just going to pick up with him where they left off. There had to be another explanation. Booth then realized that the squints were still there so he asked, "Old friend?"

Hodgins nodded, "Old teacher."

Booth looked back at Brennan's retreating form. "Yeah." He sighed at the sight of Michael trying to get handsy with Bones. Then it registered that Brennan said that the two of them were going to have dinner. "They're actually going to, uh, eat dinner after seeing this? Well, I hope it's not soup." He tried to joke about it but it was only half-hearted. He knew Brennan loved him. Their relationship was strong, but she had told him that she was a scientist at heart. That worried him sometimes.

~BONES~

Brennan was sitting at her desk, looking at a file when Angela walked in carrying her sketchbook. "Here's a sketch of the victim. Her skull was intact so it made it easy to work with." Angela handed Brennan the sketch.

Brennan looked down at it and then held up the file she was previously looking at. "I just got her dental records. Name, Maggie Schilling. Nineteen."

Ange smiled sadly, "Then I guess you don't need this."

Brennan sighed, "She was a dancer. Bone markers in her metatarsals."

Angela was appalled, "God, to go from the freedom of dance to being crammed into a refrigerator. I hope she was already dead when they shut the door." Angela sat down across from her friend. They still hadn't talked about the most recent arrival of a special someone, "He's hotter than you said."

Brennan looked up confused, "Michael?"

Angela snorted softly, "Any other ex-lovers come knocking on your door today?"

Brennan just looked at her. "The 'ex' in ex-lover is not a variable. It's a constant, like the speed of light."

Angela smirked at her when she said, "Save your dirty talk for the hunky professor."

These were time when she wished Angela knew about her and Booth. "I can assure you, our relationship is purely platonic. What we share is a love of science." She added quickly, to sound like her scientific self, "Neither of us has the time or inclination for emotional complications."

Angela didn't sound convinced, "Sounds very reasonable."

Brennan nodded her head already thinking about what she was going to tell Booth when she was going to see him, "Yes. I have to get this data together for Booth."

Angela merely nodded, "Sure." She got up to leave and said on her way out, "Have a good dinner tonight."

~BONES~

Booth had gotten right to business when his wife walked into his office. He didn't know what to say to her. "Maggie Schilling went missing 11 months ago. Her parents got a ransom note demanding a million dollars. Negotiations, they dragged on for, oh, a couple of weeks. Then suddenly all contact stopped. The assumption was that the kidnappers killed her."

Brennan looked at her own file, "No visual physical trauma."

Booth asked her, "Cause of death?"

Brennan closed the file and looked up, "Not yet, but there are stress fractures on both wrists and we have some people running chemical analysis and toxicity screens on the effluent in the refrigerator."

Booth nodded his head, still not knowing what to say, "Okay. You'll call me later?"

Brennan was shocked that Booth hadn't said anything about Michael's reappearance in her life. She stood up, closed and locked his door, and sat back down. She stared at him with a very clinical eye. He was looking down at the file and he was worried, she saw that and she knew why. "Booth, I'm going out with Michael tonight for dinner."

Booth sighed heavily and rubbed his hand across his face. "Okay."

Brennan moved forward in her chair so she was sitting at the edge, trying to get as close as possible to his desk. "Booth, you're worried." She could see him start to protest, so she brought her hand up to silence him, "I know you're worried. But you don't have to be. I'm only going out with Michael to make everyone at the lab think there's something between us. We'll eat dinner, catch up on what we've been doing over the past three years and then I'll come home, to you. I never loved Michael, Booth. I left him for you. I'm married to you and nothing is going to change that, I don't want anything to change that."

Booth looked up from his file. Relief had flooded him when he heard Brennan say that it was all an act. He should have known, but when it came to Brennan, he didn't think clearly sometimes. He smiled at her and said, "Okay, I'll meet you at home then before you leave. Let me pick out what you should wear."

Brennan laughed at that, "What, so you can make me look unattractive for Michael? I don't think so. But I'll let you give me your opinion, only your opinion."

Booth's eye grew a shade dark as he said, "You could never look unattractive Bones. You're beautiful all the time."

Brennan smiled sweetly at Booth, blushing slightly, knowing that look he was getting. "Agent Booth, are you thinking what I think you're thinking about?"

Booth closed his file and stood up slowly, "If you mean, that I want to take my wife home and make love to her, then yes."

Brennan's smile widened as she leant over and grabbed her bag, giving Booth an excellent view of her breasts. She stood up and walked over to him, patting him on his chest, "I'll meet you in the car." With that she turned around and left his office, with a little more swing in her hips.

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth were kissing, neither had clothes on, when Brennan started to laugh softly, "I missed the reservation Booth."

Booth smiled widely as he trailed kissed down her shoulder and back, "Ah, well. That's the price we pay for scientific exploration and discovery, as you would put it."

Brennan laughed again, 'You realize that Michael means nothing to me, right?"

Booth nodded as he kissed his way back up to her other shoulder, "Of course. I'm just surprised that Michael would still think that he could start something with you after all this time."

Brennan tilted her head to the side, allowing Booth to suck on her pulse. She said huskily, "Well, time is an imposed construct."

Booth laughed at that, moving her so she was now on her back. "Oh, really?"

Brennan laughed again and brought her arms around his neck. "I wonder why Michael didn't come by."

Booth had started to kiss her along her jaw, making his way to her lips, when he said, "Oh, he did come. I heard him knocking at the door."

Brennan stopped his ministrations, "Booth! Why didn't you tell me?"

Booth looked down at her and smiled softly, brushing some of her hair behind her ear, "I don't like it that he wants to start something back up with you. You're mine and I know how you hate to hear that and how that makes me an alpha male and all, but those are the facts."

He waited for her to push him off of her enraged at him, but that didn't happen. Instead her eyes softened when she said, "Booth, do you remember when you found out that I was seeing both you and Michael at the same time."

Booth rolled off of her and sighed heavily, "Yeah, of course I remember that Bones. That was the biggest argument we've ever had."

Brennan rolled over so she was snuggled next to him, her hand drawing randomly on his abdomen. "Right and when you told me you saw me with another man, you gave me an ultimatum. You told me that you could only be in a monogamous relationship and that I had to pick. Either you or Michael. Do you remember what happened?"

Of course he remembered. He thought he had lost her. "You left my apartment."

Brennan nodded, "Because in that moment, I saw how hurt you were that I was with another man, even though at the time I still didn't get why monogamy was reasonable. But I didn't want to be the cause of your pain. It was then that I realized that I was willingly to change some of my beliefs for you. So I left to tell Michael I was leaving him. We had had our fun, but I wasn't in love with him. You were more important to me, Booth. I chose you that night. I will always choose you Booth. Even though I cannot tell the future, I am certain that I will always love you. I love you Seeley."

Booth tilted her face so she was looking at him. He placed a tender kiss on her lips before he said, "I know that now. I love you too, babe."

Brennan smiled, happy she alleviated Booth's fears. "And next time, let me know when someone is at the door. I also need to make another date with Michael, or he'll think something is wrong."

Booth chuckled and nodded his head, "Okay Bones. Next time, I'll let you know while we're making love, that someone is at the door."

Brennan rolled her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She let her thoughts go back to their case and she sighed heavily, "Booth, I found some stress fractures on the wrist, not much else. But I will find more."

Booth could feel her sadness, more than see it. He kissed her on her temple, "I know you will Bren."

Brennan held onto Booth a little bit tighter when she told him, "She did fight, Booth. They kept her tied up like an animal... but she fought. That's how she got those stress fractures because she was bound and struggling. I just…I keep seeing her face." Booth tightened his hold on her before she said, "You know how it is."

He kissed her softly again on her head, "I know Bones. I know."

~BONES~

Brennan walked up the platform stairs with Michael right behind her. She had apologized to him about her missing dinner, making up the excuse that she just got wrapped up in the case. She said to everyone, "Good morning, all." Brennan then stepped up to the table. Hodgins and Zack moved toward the stairs as Michael came up, blocking him. The guys just stared/glared at Michael.

Angela came over to Brennan and whispered, "You can take the day off. You deserve one day."

Brennan looked at Angela confused, "Michael wanted to look at our equipment."

Angela just sighed, "I'm gonna let that one go. The guys wanted to meet him anyway."

Brennan looked back at the two men, "They could learn a lot from him." Brennan waited for the three of them to meet, oblivious as to their conversation. When Zach finally came over she asked him, "What have you found?"

Zach said, "X-rays reveal low bone density and the parathyroid hormone levels are also low." He passed Brennan an envelope containing the x-rays. She took them out and looked over them while Zach continued, "There is a medical condition called hyperparathyroidism."

Brennan nodded her head, "Symptoms include muscle weakness, brittle bones. Yeah, I know."

Michael jumped in eager to one up his former student. She had just told him her theory when she was apologizing. "You may be premature with your struggle theory."

Brennan looked up, a little offended. "I doubt that."

Michael gave her a semi-smug look, "You mean you don't want to be doubted."

Angela and Hodgins exchanged looks at their interactions. Tension much.

Brennan gave him a deadpan look, "I can take it."

Michael quickly added, "The wrist fractures could've resulted from her medical condition."

Brennan didn't like how Michael was treating her, "Unlikely. However…"

Michael ignored that and continued to get back at Brennan, "Or been an unrelated cause of nontraumatic fissures."

All three of the squints looked at each definitely feeling the tension now. Brennan couldn't believe Michael would say such things. "Non-traumatic? Look at these."

Michael shrugged his shoulders, happy to have gotten back at her for last night. "It's something to consider. The last thing you want to do is jump to conclusions without evidence. I mean, I know how much you want to find out who did this."

Hodgins jumped in, trying to save a fight from starting. "This seems like an appropriate moment to discuss human goop." Brennan looked beyond annoyed with Michael and his assumptions. But Hodgins continued, "Chemical analysis of the liver and kidney tissues reveal significant evidence of the narcotic hydro-morphine."

Brennan looked at Hodgins, "Hydro-morphine?"

Michael told her, "Also known as hospital heroin."

Brennan asked Hodgins, "In what kind of concentration?"

Hodgins explained, "Given her probable size and weight, it's fatal."

Angela needed to know what all the tension was about. "Where did you go to dinner last night?"

Brennan looked at her confused and chose to ignore that question, turning back to Hodgins, "We need to know if that amount was accrued over time or delivered in one large dose."

Angela asked Brennan annoyed, "You didn't come back to the lab, did you?"

Michael answered, "We didn't go out. I made frittata."

Hodgins looks annoyed by these interruptions. Angela smiled, misunderstanding what Michael was saying. "Oh, wow. He cooks too. Can we share him?" She looked at Brennan as she asked.

Brennan ignored this too. "We also need to know if the hydro-morphine was administered intravenously or orally."

Michael saw that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Brennan right then. "I should get going. I'm meeting with the board at the university. Call you after my appointment. It was nice meeting you all."

Michael left and the squints all stood on the other side of the table and looked at Brennan. She could have laughed at their expressions, "What? Is it so odd for everyone to see me with a man?" When they all nodded, she huffed and told Hodgins, "Print out the levels of hydro-morphine you found in her system." She then turned to Zach, "I want you to find the overload point that would cause the stress fractures in her wrist and examine the left ilium. There seems to be some kind of degeneration on the edge."

~BONES~

Booth joined Brennan in the living room, while FBI agents milled around, carrying out boxes, and taking pictures of the place. "Well, the fridge we found Maggie in is a match with the marks on the Costellos' floor."

Brennan looked down at some of the boxes in front of her. "They're sadomasochistic fetishists."

Booth was disgusted by this, "Yeah." He picks up a box and looked down at it, "Turned the basement into a fun room."

Brennan reached into the box looking at the various items, "Seeking sexual gratification through the manipulation of power." She pulled out a spiked collar and gave it an odd look. "Probably the oldest of fetishes, master-slave. It's all about dominance." She dropped the collar back into the box, a little disgusted herself.

Booth shook his head, "Well, this only comes up when the bloom comes off the rose, if you know what I mean."

Brennan brow furrowed as she looked at Booth, "I don't know what you mean."

Booth walked over to her and whispered discreetly, "You know, when the regular stuff…when it gets old, you need to spice it up, it's over. When sex is good, you don't need any help."

Brennan's eyes widened as Booth explained it to her. "Oh…that's for sure." She grinned widely, thinking about last night. Booth just kept staring at her, which Brennan took as the need for an explanation. "I was just saying that I myself feel no inclination toward either pain or dominance when it comes to sex."

Booth leaned in and squeezed her hip slightly. He said in a teasing tone, "Are you sure?"

Brennan leaned back just the slightest bit, exposing her neck a little to torment Booth, as she said, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Booth licked his lips, restraining himself from mauling his wife at a crime scene in front of everyone. He pulled back with one last squeeze, "Because you can be very bossy."

Booth turned away with a smile breaking out on his face. Brennan grabbed a whip from the box and hit his arm playfully. Booth smile however fell from his face as he saw a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs. He pulled them out from a box and held them up as an officer led Mary and Scott out in handcuffs, "Look at him, huh? Woo! Look at him. All smiley. I bet he just loves these things."

Booth turned toward Brennan showing her the cuffs. Brennan took them from his pencil and said, "These could explain the stress fractures. Her bones were brittle from the disease. Struggling would cause the cracks we saw."

~BONES~

Booth and Michael were standing beside each other. Michael had never met Booth before, he didn't even that Brennan broke it off with him because of Booth.

And Booth wanted to keep it that way. "You trained her well, Doc."

Michael smiled slightly and nodded, "She's brilliant. Little cocky, though."

Booth forced out a laugh. He could see that Michael was still mad about Brennan not going out with him the day before. "Yeah. Tell me about it." Booth watched her converse with Zach and murmured, "Pretty good partner though. What you see is what you get. That's a rare quality. That's just between us, isn't it?" Booth then remembered who he was talking to and snapped out of it.

Brennan turned around just in time too, "Michael?"

Zach swiveled his chair around to face the both men, "Dr. Brennan found marks on the medial malleoli, both left and right."

Brennan explained triumphantly, "Her legs were bound."

Zach nodded his head, "Mirror erosion patterns from the bones rubbing together over time."

Booth held back his smile for Brennan's work. Instead he said, "If this were the result of sex games, then the legs, they wouldn't be bound together." Michael looked back at Booth confused. "Well, come on, you know? Looking for a little nooky, the last thing you'd tie together are the legs."

Michael looked back to Brennan and shrugged, "I'm not convinced. Brittle bones from her thyroid condition. The damage could've happened in a very short time."

Brennan walked over to the table and pointed at the bones, "We also found evidence of inflammation on her right humerus and ilium."

Zach jumped in to help out his mentor, "The bone abnormalities indicated apotheosis from lying in one position for a long time."

Brennan smiled slightly again, "The only reasonable explanation is long-term bondage."

Michael shook his head, "Decreased bone density could've caused the inflammation. This isn't definitive." Brennan and Booth shared a look of annoyance, while said cheerily, "I hear there's a nice little French place near here I'd like to try."

Brennan was not going to let Michael do this. "I still have five minutes."

~BONES~

Michael, Brennan, Booth, and Angela were standing around the Angelator which was showing a girl lying on her side. Michael looked on amazed, "My department's still working with Polaroids."

Brennan smiled, "So what do you think?"

Michael had to give her props, "Very impressive. Especially to the nonprofessional."

Ange smirked and said, "You want science? Give me the estimated time of captivity."

Bones provided, "Approximately three weeks."

Angela made a few adjustments and the image showed what the girl went through. "Okay, here are your affected areas. Now during an advanced time simulation…:

Booth stepped up behind Brennan and whispered in her ear, "You're winning, right?" Brennan nodded happily.

Michael didn't look happy as he said, "Can I see your findings?" Brennan handed him some papers and he flipped through them. "This appears to be indisputable."

Brennan nodded her head again proudly but said somberly, "The narcotic found in her system was not the result of recreational drug abuse."

Angela added, "The inflammation would've been very painful and the pain would've increased over time."

Brennan told him with a hint of anger at the two suspects, "They kept upping the dose of hydromorphone until they gave her too much and she died. Those people bound and killed that girl."

Michael sighs, knowing that he was beat again. "I yield. French restaurant?"

Brennan smirked, "I'm more in the mood for Italian. I need to put together the evidence packet for Booth to deliver to the U.S. Attorney."

Michael shook his head. He wouldn't even be doing this if he wasn't trying to get her in his bed again. "I'll meet you at your place." Michael handed back Brennan her papers and walked away, obviously not happy.

Brennan smiled as Booth held out his fist. "Good work." Brennan looked down at his fist and looked back at him. Her husband could be quite strange sometimes.

~BONES~

Angela was with Brennan in the lounge when she asked, "Do you really think he can handle your success?"

Brennan thought Michael could, they had in the past. "Because of today? No, we've always been competitive."

Angela sighed slightly, "I know, but he's a man and his student, a woman, has surpassed him."

Brennan shook her head, "Michael is extremely secure, Ange."

Angela just looked at her friend. Sometimes she could be so oblivious. "Honey, when you stuck it to him today, he was upset."

Brennan didn't think so. "It was a healthy debate between scientists. You don't know Michael."

Angela raised one of her eyebrows, "I know men. And I know what happens when two people start sleeping together."

Brennan was pleased that Angela thought that she and Michael had begun sleeping together. It meant her plans had worked out. But, she also needed to tell the truth. "It's not like that. We're friends, colleagues, that's all."

Angela couldn't believe Bren was keeping her out in the dark. "Colleagues with benefits."

Brennan looked at her confused. "I don't know what that means, but Michael and I are not involved. I'm sorry if that's difficult for you to understand but what we have isn't traditional."

Angela snorted at that. Yeah, right, like she was going to believe that Brennan wasn't sleeping with her old fling. "Don't talk to me about traditional. Okay? I've dated circus people. You and Michael, you have something, and that's okay. That's good, even. Just be honest about it."

Booth was walking up the stairs to the lounge when he called, "Bones?" He walked up to the two women and smiled brightly, "The judge is holding them without bail. The U.S. Attorney is thinking about sending you flowers."

Brennan smiled, "The facts are facts."

Booth looked uncomfortable all of a sudden and Brennan didn't like it. "Uh, Bones, I have to ask. How much have you been sharing with, uh, the professor?"

Brennan looked at Angela and then back at Booth. "None of your business."

Booth understood that they had to keep up their act and clarified, "I mean, on the case."

Brennan was actually shocked to hear that. "Oh. I bounce everything off him. Why?"

Booth knew that Brennan didn't see the harm in Michael. Even though they hadn't spent much time together, whenever they were together it was surrounded by the case. "Well, you gotta keep him out of it from now on."

Brennan was shocked yet again. Was this some way to keep her away from Michael? Because she had told him there was nothing between the two of them, didn't he believe her? "Out of it? Why?"

Booth definitely looked uncomfortable now. "Well, you know that appointment he had today?"

Brennan nodded her head slowly, not sure where this was going. "Yeah."

Booth looked down and then looked back up with regret in his eyes. He didn't want to be the one to tell her this. "He met with the Costello's lawyer. Michael is their expert witness." Brennan couldn't believe it. Michael knew what the interview was for and he still….she was outraged.

Booth said quietly, "It's his job to tear apart the case that you've built."

~BONES~

Brennan and Michael were at the restaurant. Brennan was still extremely mad at Michael. "How could I not be upset? Basically, you were spying on me."

Michael couldn't believe how Brennan was reacting. She had changed since the last time he was with her. "Spying? It's a criminal proceeding. You're required by law to disclose all your findings to the defense anyway."

Brennan shook her head, "I'm only required to provide you with the raw facts we intend to enter into evidence, not the process by which I arrived at those facts."

Michael brought his hands up in surrender. He didn't want them fighting, he wanted to be working his magic. "I apologize. That's a nuance that escaped me."

Brennan sighed, "Why didn't you just tell me, Michael?"

Michael tried to come up with an excuse, to try and placate her. "Because the defense isn't required to tell the prosecution anything. In fact, it's grounds for a mistrial. Look, I've never done this before. You're the teacher in this situation. I'm the student."

Brennan smirked at that. This was the Michael she knew. "A little competitive."

Michael smiled, seeing that he was getting through a little. "Part of the job at the university is to be an expert witness and yes, I would like to do that job at least as well as you, but if you feel I've overstepped some boundary here, I'll back out of the case."

Brennan paused and considered that offer. "No. But if you stay on, we can't see each other anymore outside this case."

Michael couldn't believe that Brennan was acting like that. "Really?"

Brennan gave him her most proper smile. "Yes."

Michael tried to laugh it off and said, "Well, would I have to do it tonight or should I order another bottle of wine?" Brennan knew that look he was giving her and she was about to say that she did think it should start tonight, but Michael said, "I apologize, Tempe." He leaned in to kiss her on her lips, but Brennan moved her face so he kissed her cheek instead.

Brennan pulled away, "Michael, I mean it. We can't see each other anymore. I'm not looking to start anything back up. Now, I have to go. I'll see you at the lab." Brennan stood up and left a stunned Michael sitting at the table.

~BONES~

Michael was examining the bones while everyone else watched. Booth walked up to the group and asked, "He still at it?"

Angela looked on at the two, bored out of her mind. She said sarcastically, "Yep. And it is fascinating."

Brennan had told him the night before of Michael's attempts to spend the night with her. He wanted to punch the guy and some. "Keep an eye on him."

Goodman whispered, "That's not going to be a problem." He then nodded to Hodgins and Zach, who were videotaping Michael. They both nodded back. Booth gave both of them a thumbs-up, happy to see that Brennan's team had her back. They returned the gesture.

Angela asked amused, "Did you just give Zach and Hodgins a sign of encouragement?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, you know, that's the first time I've been able to look at them with imagining Moe knocking their heads together."

Angela and Goodman shared a look of amusement as Goodman said, "Agent Booth, you're accessing your inner squint."

Booth looked somewhat concerned that Brennan was starting to rub off on him too much. Would they start suspecting things?

Michael looked up and asked, "Tempe, you listed an avulsion fracture on the right femur. It looks minor. Do you consider this evidence?"

Booth stepped forward, happy that he could finally say something to Michael in his authoritative voice, "Dr. Brennan's conclusions belong to the prosecution."

Michael was a little taken aback at the tone in Booth's voice. He would never say it out loud, but it scared him a little. "I have no interest in destroying your case, Agent Booth. I'm just trying to get a sense of…"

Goodman decided to add his own thoughts. "Of her interpretations of data, to which you are not privy, Dr. Stires."

Brennan turned around, pleased to see that her friends were looking out for her. "I understand the game the doctor is trying to play and I'm perfectly capable of dealing with him myself. I'm sure he's just thrown by findings he would have missed." She was going to enjoy bringing Michael down.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan walked through the lab to her office. "Bones, you okay?"

Brennan huffed, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Booth placed a consoling hand on the small of her back. "Because the nutty professor's grading your paper. What'd he give you anyway, huh? I was always happy with a B."

Brennan sighed, "He only did that to get back at me for turning him down. The rat bastard. Plus, I never got a B and I never will."

Brennan continues walking to her office, while Booth stopped and said, "That's my girl."

~BONES~

Deaver and Levitt walked away from them. Brennan turned to Booth, angry, "Can you believe that?" When Booth didn't say anything, she said a little hurt. "What? You agree with her?"

Booth brought his hands on top of her shoulders, "Well, not entirely."

Brennan swiped them off her shoulders and said angrily, "'Not entirely.' So that means partly. Well, I was perfectly clear. Didn't you think I was clear?"

Booth sighed and ran his hand over his face, "Sometimes. And, um... sometimes you were... a little hard to follow."

Brennan looked at him a little offended, "What are you talking about? When?"

Booth mumbled, "When you were talking." And then said more clearly, "Listen, Bones, I know you care about this case, but I think you should let them see that."

Brennan looked at him concerned, "So, I should perform?"

Booth nodded slightly, "Just a little bit, yeah. I mean, do you see how I portrayed myself as a no-nonsense, tough-guy cop?"

Brennan sighed aggravated, "You are a no-nonsense, tough-guy cop!"

Booth smiled, "Exactly! And I think that it wouldn't hurt if the jury saw who you really are.

Brennan felt her walls closing up at that. She couldn't do that, it was her only protection. She said hotly, "Well, I don't know who you think that is, Booth, because this is who I really am. Just this."

Booth groaned as Brennan walked away. She ran right into Michael. "God. Sorry."

Michael grabbed hold of her shoulders and said, "I'm okay. Are you?"

Brennan sighed, "Sure." She needed to talk to someone that was like her. "Well, truthfully, this whole thing is pretty awkward. Don't you think?"

Michael didn't really know what to say. He was mad at her after all. "We're just doing our job. You'll be fine."

Brennan nodded, "It's just, they have this jury consultant. They want to turn this into a melodrama. They don't understand what a scientist is."

Michael could have laughed at that. She was breaking under the pressure, this was just what he needed. "Tempe, we're not allowed to talk about the case."

Brennan sighed. "I know, I'm just saying…"

Michael knew exactly what he was going to use on the stand now. "My guy's gonna freak if he sees us talking."

Brennan nodded, "Sure. Sorry."

~BONES~

Deaver looked at Brennan slightly appalled by her. "Dr. Brennan, you need to learn the difference between reality and perception. A trial is all about perception."

Brennan stepped back a little taken aback. "Wow. You're the reason civilization is declining."

Deaver looked at Booth, "Talk to her."

Booth gave her a straight-faced look, "I kind of agree with her."

Deaver gaave Booth an annoyed look and walked away. Brennan turned to Booth and said genuinely, "Thanks."

Booth whispered, "I really don't agree with you either, I just…I don't like her and how she was treating you."

Brennan turned to Levitt annoyed at Booth, "Put me back on the stand. I can rebut everything that Michael said."

Booth gave Levitt a stern look, "She can do this."

Levitt looked at both of them and said, "I'll think about it." He sighed and walked away.

Brennan turned to Booth concern and aggravation lacing her voice, "I've never been in this position before, Booth. I need to get back up there."

Booth squeezed her shoulder, "All right. Just let me talk to him."

~BONES~

Brennan quickly left the courtroom, Michael was chasing after her. "Tempe. Tempe! Tempe, I'm sorry. What can I do?"

Brennan looked at him for a few moments disgusted by what she saw, then turned and began to walk away. She was just angry beyond belief.

Booth ran up to her and said, "Bones! The Costello's are trying to cop a plea to a charge that won't mean the death penalty. They know they're going down."

Brennan turned on him, slapping his face. She watched as Booth grabbed the cheek she just hit. He knew he deserved that. She said heatedly, "You had no right Booth. There are things that are private."

Booth let his hand fall. "Yeah. Maybe you're right, but you know what? This was my case too. All right? I needed to do what I knew would help the jury see the Brennan I know." He sighed and looked away, he hated seeing her hurt, but the murderers were going to walk. He couldn't have that. Looking over her shoulder he said, "I'll see you later Bones."

~BONES~

Brennan was in her office looking at a picture of her and Michael when Angela walked in. She didn't have any feelings for him anymore, if she ever did. But Booth had really hurt her today. She didn't like that feeling. Angela broke through her thoughts though with, "Guilty on all counts."

Brennan looked up and said, "Yeah."

Angela looked down at the photo Brennan was holding and asked, "So he owes you another dinner, huh?"

Brennan shook her head. "No. I won't be seeing him anymore." She loved Booth. Which scared her that even after all that he had done, she could still love him. She couldn't get her heart crushed again, not like when she was fifteen and her parents disappeared.

Angela once again broke through her thoughts, "Sorry."

Brennan shook her head, "I was foolish to be so open with him. It was irrational. You know how you get when you're tired."

Angela smiled sadly, "Yeah. You wanna go out? Grab a drink?"

Brennan needed time to think, to process everything. "Um, I think I just want to work."

Angela knew that there was something else bothering her but she wasn't going to push, this time. "Okay."

As Angela left, Booth walked in apprehensively. He felt terrible about everything. He knocked softly on her door frame, "Hey, Bones."

Brennan looked up and then looked behind him to make sure no one was listening to them, "What is it Booth? I'm not feeling very forgiving right now."

Booth stepped in a little closer. "Yeah, I know, but, uh, we have a case." Brennan looked at him and thought about it. She then grabbed her stuff and followed Booth to their car.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were on the Washington Memorial with Bones examining a burnt corpse. "Victim is an adult male, 35 to 40 years old. From the pattern of the burning, I'd say an accelerate was used. Could you hand me my bag?"

Booth grabbed the bag as a gust of wind came. "Yeah, sure. Listen, do you want my coat or something? It's cold up here."

Brennan looked up at him and said, "If I did, I'd ask for it."

Booth looked down at his shoes as he said, "Yeah. Sorry." He then looked back at Brennan. "And, um, I'm sorry Bren, I shouldn't have done that. I hurt you and I'm sorry."

Brennan stared at him and saw his sincere regret. "You had something to accomplish. You found a logical way of getting what you needed. Probably would've done the same thing."

Booth began to smile as he handed Brennan the tool she wanted. He would have to find away to make it up to her though. He needed to gain her trust again.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – The Man in the Fallout Shelter**

Angela ran after Brennan to 'persuade' her to come along with her. "Sweetie!"

Brennan already had plans with some very special people; she couldn't deal with Angela right then. "Angela, I don't want to."

Angela ran up onto the platform, "Sweetie, could you stop galloping for, like, two seconds?"

Brennan looked back and said exasperatedly, "Better able to withstand peer pressure when you can't catch me."

Angela walked up to her and smiled slightly, "Call it a favor, okay?"

Brennan walked around, picking up a skull she needed to finish looking at. "How is me going to a company Christmas party doing you a favor?"

Ange clipped her ID baby to her elf vest and said with laughter in her voice, "Remember what happened last year?"

Brennan pulled on her gloves when she said, "I didn't go last year."

Angela finally made her point. "Yeah, exactly. And it took me weeks to collect all those photocopies. I need you. Friends don't let friends photocopy their butts at company Christmas parties. Hey, there's a Secret Santa."

Brennan shook her head at Angela's attempt to persuade her to come. "I don't like Secret Santa. The idea that we are forced by convention to exchange meaningless gifts is…"

Angela rolled her eyes slightly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. If you rearrange Secret Santa, though, you get Secret Satan."

Brennan looked up confused. "What possible meaning could that have?"

Angela explained with a small smile as Brennan started to examine the skull, "I've already had an eggnog, if you can't tell. Now, how am I gonna enjoy this party knowing that my best friend in the whole world is in the lab, eyeball to eyeball with… Skeletor?"

Brennan definitely didn't know what her friend was talking about. "Who?"

Angela could just roll her eyes at her friend's lack of pop-culture. "He's a cartoon villain who looks like a… You know, his name is self explanatory. Would you please just come to this party?"

Brennan thought about it for a few seconds. She could go to the party for an hour or two and then get home in time for… She exhaled, deciding she should be there for her friend. "Twenty minutes."

Booth entered the lab, wanting to get this case done and over with so he could spend Christmas with is family. "Bones! All right."

Angela's smile widened at the sight of Booth. Maybe could get Bren drunk along with Booth…Oh yeah. "Merry Christmas, Seeley."

Booth looked up as he placed the suitcase he was holding down. "Oh, wow. Ooh, what are you, an elf?"

Angela smiled brightly. "Yes. What's wrong with a little Christmas spirit?"

Brennan had already grabbed the file and was flipping through it when she asked, "What's the context?"

Booth explained eagerly, "A federal property on Dupont Circle where Congress puts up visiting agricultural specialists, or- or something like that, they're digging to put in a solarium, and they find a fallout shelter with… a skeleton inside." He really wanted to solve this, fast.

Brennan looked up and a small smiled appeared on her face as she listened to Booth explain the case. He was speaking relatively faster than normal which meant, he hadn't gotten Parker his gift yet. Angela looked down at the photo of the skeleton briefly and then asked, "How long was it in there?"

Booth spewed off the information he had, "Shelter was built in the fifties, part of that whole A-bomb panic."

Brennan continued to look at the photo and shook her in disbelief at how stupid the murderer was. "It's not a suicide. "

Booth had a gut feeling it wasn't but he really wished he was wrong. "Why not? Hole in the head, you see the gun, it's a suicide."

Brennan looked up at Booth shocked. Did he really think… "He shoots himself in the head and somehow his arm ends up across his chest? Bring the skeleton in, I'll prove it wasn't a suicide." She then saw the little glint in his eyes. He already knew that, of course.

Booth smiled and said, "Merry Christmas, Bones." He whistled loudly and yelled, "Come on, boys, bring it in."

Angela watched as two FBI men carried in a stretcher with the skeleton and bring it up onto the platform. This was not happening. "Oh, no. We are going to the company Christmas party."

Brennan shook her head, "Well, you go ahead. I'll do a cursory examination and I'll meet you in a few minutes."

Booth helped lower the body onto the table. "All right. There you go. Wow." He turned to leave, now that he had some free time he could…

And then his wife just had to ask him, "Booth, will you escort Angela to the Christmas party and make sure she doesn't photocopy her butt?"

He knew she knew that he hadn't picked anything up for Parker. She was doing this on purpose wasn't she? "Oh, no, no. I can't do that. You see, I got some really last-minute important Christmas shopping that I gotta do."

Ange smiled as she took his arm with her own. "It's not last-minute until tomorrow."

Booth looked at Brennan and he could see the small smile form on her face. So this was pay back! "Come on, Bones. Bones…" Angela started to drag him to the stairs. "I just… I gotta…"

Ange shock her head amused, "Come on."

Booth turned around, accepting his fate. "Geez."

~BONES~

Booth walked onto the platform as Brennan pulled something out of the jacket on the skeleton. "What do you got there?"

Brennan opened up the envelope, "Two open tickets to Paris. One way. Pan Transit Airlines. They're blank."

Booth thought back and remembered, "Pan Transit went out of business in the sixties."

Brennan looked up and smiled mischievously, "I thought you were at the party."

Booth blew out a sigh and glared at her, "Ugh, it wasn't a party, it was a Star Wars convention. And you only sent me there for pay back."

She looked at him innocently, "I don't know what you're talking about." Brennan picked up the remains of a bullet with a pair of tweezers and showed it to Booth. "This was still in the skull."

Booth examined it. He whistled softly, ".22 caliber. Matches the gun he was holding. Did you open up the suitcase?"

Brennan shook her head, "Nope."

Booth had brought this to her so he could get it solved fast, so… "Why not?"

Brennan placed the bullet back down as she said, "It could hold information that would compromise my objectivity."

Booth sighed slightly, "Oh, yeah, like a name and address?"

Brennan looked at him a little irritated. She had her process, just like he did. "I prefer to make unbiased initial observations." Brennan then spotted Zach and Hodgins walking across one of the catwalks on the upper level of the lab, with Hodgins carrying the beaker of liquid. "Is that pure alcohol?"

Zach looked down, flustered and then answered honestly, "Yes, Dr. Brennan." Hodgins shot him a dirty look. Snitch.

Brennan shook her head, "You really think Goodman's gonna let you spike the eggnog after the Fourth of July fiasco?"

Hodgins sighed, resigned that he couldn't have his fun. "We may have to rethink."

Brennan decided to keep them focused so that they wouldn't cause anymore trouble. "Zack, I need you to clean these bones."

Zach looked surprised to say the least. "Now?"

Hodgins laughed at that and said while walking away, "Burnt."

However Brennan called out to him, too. She had to specifically keep him focused. "And I need you to search the clothing for insect evidence."

Booth smiled in disbelief. Man, Bren could really be strict. It was after all just alcohol. "Geez, Bones. Merry Christmas." Brennan looked at him confused. Booth hadn't seen what happened at that Fourth of July party.

Angela walked in to this scene and had had enough. "Okay, you people listen to me. There is a party going on upstairs, okay? A Christmas party. We're going up there. We're gonna talk to some people, we're gonna sing some carols, we're gonna drink some eggnog." She pointed at Booth, "You are going to kiss me under the mistletoe. On the lips." Booth knew that so was not going to happen. But Angela didn't wait for a reply as she then turned to Zach and Hodgins, "I might kiss you guys under the mistletoe, too." And finally she turned to Brennan, "Maybe even you. In a festive, non-lesbian manner. But we are going to that party."

~BONES~

A loud alarm went off throughout the lab. Booth was just walking toward the door when he heard the alarms. He turned around and semi-shouted, "What's that?"

Dr. Goodman explained, "Biological contamination."

Booth saw the sliding doors begin to pull shut, and Booth ran at them. "Whoa!" He tried to open them, but they wouldn't budge.

Angela walked a little forward on the platform and told him, "The doors seal automatically. Don't worry about it."

Booth did not have time for this. "What do you mean, don't worry about it?"

Brennan started to walk off the platform when she tried to placate Booth, "There's no use panicking until we know what it is."

It didn't work. "What what is?"

Everyone then saw Hodgins and Zach enter, wet, with towels around their waists. This was not good.

~BONES~

Everyone was in Brennan's office listening to "Santa" tell them the bad news via video. "The pathogen is coccidioidomycosis."

Goodman thought he heard him wrong, "Valley fever?"

Hal nodded, "It was picked up in the scanner in the discharge vent at Mr. Addy's station."

Booth looked around the room. Was he the only that didn't know what the hell that was? "What's valley fever?"

Zach was so upset. "It's a fungus that can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, spontaneous abortion… death!"

Goodman explained what happened to Hal, "The alarm sounded shortly after Mr. Addy cut into a human bone. That must have been the source."

Hal asked concerned, "Was he following autopsy protocol?"

Brennan taught Zach well, she was slightly offended by his assumption. "Of course. However…"

Hodgins jumped in, "I was drinking an eggnog."

This was not good and Hal knew it. "And now he's there with you breathing the same air."

Hodgins was on the edge, and that just tipped him over it. "Hey, I got into the decontamination shower with Zach. Haven't I been through enough hell?"

Booth really didn't care about any of this. He just needed to get out of there. "Is he contagious?"

Hal explained, "Dr. Hodgins may have inhaled the spores, yes."

Booth again didn't care about that. As long as he and Brennan were okay, then… "Okay, it must suck to be Hodgins right now, but the rest of us, we didn't inhale. So it's okay if I go, right?"

Goodman couldn't believe their luck. "Dr. Hodgins may have exhaled the spores all over us. "

Hal shook his head, sorry for these poor souls. "We have no choice but to impose quarantine. Valley fever can be fatal, and we can't risk a pandemic. Just calm down and let us handle things from this side."

Booth was aggravated now. This couldn't be happening, not now. He took his anger out on Hal, "Anyone besides me worried that a guy dressed like Santa is in charge?"

Hal glared at Booth and said coolly, "Merry Christmas." The screen then shut off, leaving everyone in silence.

Booth turned to look at Hodgins and Zach. "Okay, you know what? If this is fatal, I will shoot both of you." God, this was going to be the worst Christmas ever.

~BONES~

Hal explained what they needed to do, "This is a cocktail of four antifungal drugs, including amphotericin B. Orally, you'll be taking ketoconazole, fluconazole, and itraconazole."

Booth looked at him a little confused but said, "That's great. Then we can leave?" Brennan looked at Booth sadly. She didn't like it when he was this mad and she knew why he was.

Hal shook his head as the team was administered the shots. "We won't know for a couple of days if the fungus took hold in your system."

Booth stood there in shock for a second and then he was just angry. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're saying that we're stuck here over Christmas? Look, you know, I have… places to go, you know? I have obligations."

Goodman was angry himself. "We all have obligations."

Hodgins was buckling his pants when he said heatedly, "I'm supposed to go to Quebec."

Angela turned to him, glaring, "Hey, whose fault is this?"

Hodgins glared right back at her, "Who forced me to go to the party where I drank too much and had to hide from Crystal?"

Angela shot a glare at Zach, "Who never should have cut into a bone with a drunken fool in the room?"

Zach turned toward Booth going along with the logical line of faults, "Who brought us human remains just to ditch a little paperwork?"

Booth could just punch someone or something right then. "Oh, you're saying this is my fault?"

Goodman butted in with his own reasoning, "You knew Dr. Brennan could not resist."

Brennan jumped in for Booth's defense. She was actually supposed to be at home all day getting ready for Christmas. Although, she lied about where she would be. "I'd have been able to resist if I was in Niger, where I wanted to be."

Goodman was shocked, "You're blaming me."

Hal brought up his hands to calm everyone down. "Ladies and gentlemen, we'll have sleeping bags delivered. Please have your loved ones call me and we'll set up some kind of safe, quarantined visit on Christmas Eve. Oh, and be prepared for side effects."

Brennan nodded her head. "Nausea, fever, insomnia."

Hal expounded. "In very rare cases, euphoria, dream state, mild hallucinations."

Angela smiled at that thought. "I'll take that, please."

Hal told them what to look for if one of them had Valley Fever. "Early symptoms mimic a common cold."

Goodman asked, "What if it manifests?"

Zach explained, "First treatment protocol involves extremely painful injections into the base of the brain."

Booth looked up at the ceiling feeling angry and then it all went away as he noticed, "You know what? I never realized how pretty all this shiny stuff is."

Hodgins looked at him in disgust, "That is so not fair."

~BONES~

Goodman was in a blue sleeping bag and was lying across the couch with Booth nearby on the floor, on top of his own sleeping bag. Booth asked once again, "What are those little tiny lights dancing on the ceiling?"

Goodman sighed, "For the third time, those are minute firings of neurons on your optic nerve due to your reaction to the antifungal cocktail."

Booth smiled, "Wow. They're beautiful."

Goodman chuckled at Agent Booth. "You are stoned, Agent Booth."

Booth laughed at that, happy he at least got something out of this. "Oh, good. Let's hope it lasts long enough to keep this from being the worst Christmas of my life."

Goodman looked down slightly at Booth and asked, "What are you complaining about? I don't like to boast, but I am the spirit of Christmas at my house. I have a wife, and twin five-year-old daughters." He pulled out a photo from his wallet and handed it to Booth. "We have family traditions, most important of which is being together for Christmas."

Booth looked at the photo and said, "Wow. They're beautiful." As he handed the photo back to Goodman he told him, still a little stoned and not thinking clearly, "You know, I have a wife and kid too…" He pulled out his very own picture of Parker with Brennan kissing him on the cheek. They had been at a carnival that day, just enjoying each other. "His name's Parker. He's four years old." He passed the photo of them to Goodman without thinking, because his brain wasn't processing what the implications would mean. He continued on though, "His mother wouldn't marry me, so my parental rights are totally…"

Goodman was still looking at the photo when he said, "Vague?"

Booth snorted, "That word's just a little bit Christmasier than what I was thinking."

Goodman looked at the woman kissing Booth's son and narrowed his eyes. She looked exactly like… "Agent Booth, is that Dr. Brennan kissing your son's cheek?"

And that's when everything clicked in Booth's brain. His eyes widened ever so slightly. "Um, yeah, it is."

Goodman looked down at Booth and then back up at the picture, "So, I would be correct than in saying that she is this wife, you are talking about?"

Booth dragged his hand down his face. Man, could this Christmas get any worse? "Yes, but Dr. Goodman no one really knows about us. If my bosses find out, I won't be able to work with Bones anymore and I really don't trust anyone else to work with her but me. So, we decided to act like we don't know each around everyone here. Please, don't tell anyone about us, at least, not until we're ready, okay?"

Goodman smiled and shook his head as he passed the picture back to Booth, "I'll pretend I never saw her in it. He's a fine looking boy, by the way."

Booth smiled as he looked at the picture again. "Yeah, I get him part of Christmas day. I get him an excellent present every year, something really cool. But, uh, this year…"

Goodman sighed, "Yes. This year."

Booth started to smile again as he saw those lights. "What are those little lights on the ceiling again?"

Goodman just smirked and shook his head.

~BONES~

Brennan was looking into a microscope when Booth jumped up on the opposite side of the platform, arms in the air, with an elf hat on his head. "Bones, it's after midnight. Hmm? Christmas Eve day. Both an eve and a day. It's a Christmas miracle."

Brennan smirked at her husband, "Still enjoying your medication, I see."

He walked over and took a seat next to Brennan, caressing her arm. She looked so pretty in that shirt of hers. She smelt so good too. He started to lean in and trail kisses along her shoulder when he asked, "Okay, so, what are we looking at?"

Brennan sighed in delight at the feel of Booth's lips against her skin. "There are traces of lead and nickel in the dead guy's osteological profile. Booth, you should stop. Someone might see us."

Booth ignored that last part as he continued his ministrations while he mumbled, "You don't seem too upset about missing Christmas."

Brennan rolled her neck to allow him a little bit more access to her sensitive skin. She said huskily, "Indications are that Christ, if he existed, was born in late spring and that the celebration of his birth was shifted to coincide with the pagan rite of the winter solstice so that early Christians weren't persecuted."

Booth smirked slightly, having heard this explanation before. "Hmm. What are you, like, the Christmas killer?"

Brennan turned around in her chair, causing Booth to stop kissing her neck, to both their disappointment. She smiled softly and took off the elf's hat, raking her fingers through his hair. She loved it when it had the mused look. She whispered in his ear, "It's the truth." And then she bit his lobe gently.

Booth got distract as Bones started doing her own ministrations and said hoarsely, "It sounds like the truth 'cause it's so rational, right? But, you know, the true truth is that you just…you hated Christmas, so you just spout out all those facts and you ruin it for everyone else."

Brennan had made her way to his lips and barely kissed them, softly saying, "I ruin the true truth with facts?"

Booth looked in her darkened eyes and knew his eyes looked the same. He leaned back just a fraction and whispered back to her, "Yeah, and you ruin it for the squint squad too by making them work on a case about a guy who's been sealed up in a fallout shelter for fifty years."

Brennan started to tug on his hair just a little trying to distract him, while she asked, "Well, how would you like me to spend my Christmas?"

Booth groaned at the sensation of her fingers and what they were doing to his body. He had to distract himself, "Christmas is the perfect time to reexamine your standing with, you know…" He pointed upwards, making Brennan look up too which allowed the needed distraction because he was ready to maul her right there on the examination table.

Brennan's brow scrunched up confused, and that made Booth just want to kiss her she looked so cute. "A helicopter pilot?"

Booth knew that she was joking with him, and he played right along. "Oh, right, right. You can't measure the man upstairs in a beaker, so he can't possibly exist."

Brennan chuckled as she started back on tugging at his hair to bring him closer to her so she could kiss him. "The man upstairs?"

Booth's eyes closed as he fought back his arousal. "Mmm. You know, you don't know if you're sick, but you're more than willing to take drugs just in case. It seems to me you could give the man upstairs the same benefit of the doubt that you do an invisible fungus." He leaned in while he said the last part, which is exactly what Brennan wanted.

They started to kiss each other passionately. For Booth though, everything was elevated. He was hyper-aware of everything his wife's fingers and lips were doing, which made him even more aroused. He groaned inside her mouth as he stood up and pinned Brennan against the examination table, pressing his arousal against her – loving the pressure that was created.

Brennan gasped slightly as she felt how hard Booth was from just kissing each other, and then she remembered that Booth was stoned. She smiled as they continued kissing; only breaking apart for some air. She soon wrapped her legs around his waist, and rocked against Booth's arousal. Which elicited a groan that she tried to quite with a smoldering kiss. Booth starting trailing kisses down Brennan's neck, which caused her to lean her head back to expose it more to him. Neither of them heard the quite footsteps as the ascending the stairs, because at that precise moment, Brennan against Booth again.

They were both startled when they heard Dr. Goodman, whisper sharply, "Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth! What do you think you are doing?"

Brennan's eyes snapped open in horror shock at being found out in a rather embarrassing manner. Booth had stopped everything, it seemed he even stopped breathing. Brennan was about to bring down her legs trying to come up with a lie for their behavior, when Booth stopped her. He just leaned forward and held her where she was. She realized that Booth was trying to hide his evident hard on from Dr. Goodman.

A warm blush spread across her cheeks as she looked at Dr. Goodman, "Dr. Goodman, we were…"

However Booth cut her off, "Sorry, Dr. Goodman. I just got a little carried away…"

Goodman held up his hands, "I don't want to know. I heard Booth's groan and I thought he was experiencing some negative side effects of the drugs. I was apparently mistaken. But I should warn you, if you don't want the others to find out, I would stop whatever it was you were doing." Goodman turned around amused at what he just saw and a little bit embarrassed as well.

Brennan looked at Goodman's retreating back in shock. She whispered to Booth, "Booth, I think Dr. Goodman knows we're together."

Booth sighed as he leaned his head against her shoulder trying to get control over his body, "Yeah, he knows."

Brennan looked at Booth confused, "What?"

Booth stepped away from Brennan, rearranging himself a little to hide his arousal as much as possible, when he explained, "I might have accidentally slipped to him we're married. I didn't mean to tell him, but it's these drugs. My brain isn't functioning properly."

Brennan looked back to where Goodman had been standing. "So, he knows we're married and he's not going to say anything to anyone. Why? And how did he find out?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders, "I asked him not to say anything. I told him that we couldn't work together if my bosses found out. And we were talking about Christmas. He showed me a picture of his two girls and wife. So I showed him the picture I have of you and Parker at the carnival. I didn't think about what it meant until after he said something."

Brennan nodded slowly. She understood that the drugs did impair judgment. She nodded her head slowly as she said, "Okay. So he won't tell anyone?"

Booth shook his head, "He said he wouldn't tell anyone."

Brennan nodded again. "Okay." She looked back at her microscope and notes. She didn't want to risk getting caught again. "I think I should continue to look at the evidence."

Booth nodded his head. "And I'll, just try and cool off some." Brennan smiled as she watched Booth walk down the stairs.

~BONES~

Booth was doing pull-ups on a support bar as Zach and Hodgins came down the stairs, to get the last bit of pent up energy and arousal out of his system. He hear Zach tell Hodgins, " In some cases of valley fever, suppurating skin lesions appear."

Hodgins sighed heavily, "Could someone in a position of responsibility please order Zack to shut up?"

The three of them walked over to Goodman, who was standing near a cart of breakfast food as Angela entered from another direction saying tiredly, "Coffee. Coffee. "

Goodman smiled, "Good morning, Miss Montenegro."

Angela started to pour some coffee when she asked, "Where'd this come from?"

Goodman smirked, "Hazmat team brought it over early this morning. Very appetizing." He then turned to Booth with a knowing look and asked, "Are you back with us?"

Booth chuckled softly and smiled, "Yeah, think so."

Angela took a sip of her coffee and started out telling everyone her idea, "Since we're gonna be stuck together for Christmas, we should make the most of it."

Booth started putting everything back in his pockets and was grabbing his shirt when he asked her, "How?"

Angela smiled brightly, "We'll decorate this place and exchange handmade gifts."

Goodman nodded his head, pleased with that idea. "An excellent idea, Miss Montenegro."

Zach nodded too, "I can get behind that."

Hodgins finished the food he was chewing and then said, "I'm in."

Goodman said right before he took a sip of coffee, "As am I."

Booth walked over to the group with his shirt in hand. This was the perfect time to show Goodman what he meant by acting like they didn't know each other. "How 'bout Bones?"

He could see Goodman give him a quizzical look as both he, Hodgins, and Zach all shake their heads.

Booth gave Goodman a knowing look and said, "Aw, come on. What's the deal with Bones and Christmas?"

Angela sighed and explained sadly, "Last night I spun a little story about two young lovers running off to Paris. But the man never shows up, and the woman is left wondering what happened to him. And I say, 'Imagine what that must have been like.' And Brennan says, 'I don't have to.'"

Booth knew this story. He knew it very well. He still held Brennan at night every Christmas, when she thought back on it. But he had to play dumb. "Yeah I- I still don't get it."

Goodman finally got what Booth was doing and went along with it. "Oh my God."

Booth looked at him suppressing a smile. "What?"

Angela shook her head slightly, "Brennan's parents disappeared just before Christmas when she was fifteen."

Goodman nodded, "And she never knew what happened to them."

Booth sighed sorrowfully, "Oh, God. That explains a lot."

Hodgins nodded slightly, "Mm, yeah."

Goodman looked at Booth and said sadly, "Yeah."

Angela tried to get them back on focus. "Alright, we need a way to choose our Secret Santa's."

~BONES~

The couple was on one of the catwalks above the central lab platform. Booth had been following Brennan as she read her findings and he told his to her. Booth said after Brennan handed over a photo, "Compass, pen knife, some change. Listen, I got Goodman for this Secret Santa thing, and I don't know what to get…"

Brennan turned to him and told him, "Anthropologically speaking, gifts are a way of asserting dominance in a group. Now imagine an entire holiday devoted to self-promotion, especially in this materialistic culture. How can you expect me to get behind that? How can you get behind it?"

Booth grabbed her arm gently and spun her to look at him, "Wow, that's deep. That's a very deep pile of crap. Bones, are you okay?"

Brennan looked down away from his gaze. Dr. Goodman looked up just in that moment and saw firsthand how these two interacted with each other, he was pleasantly surprised as he watched.

Booth tilted Brennan's head up until she was looking at him, "Bren, what's wrong?"

Brennan sighed slightly, "You know how I get around Christmas. It just brings back all those bad memories and especially now, since we don't have Parker to help distract me. I don't like being seen so emotional Booth. People might think that I'm weak, when I'm not."

Booth didn't care who saw them at the moment. His wife needed comfort. So he brought her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "No one will think you're weak Bones. I definitely don't think you're weak. You're the strongest woman I know. And Parks is coming by later on today. I asked Goodman to distract the rest of the squints, so we could have some privacy while talk with Parker. We'll make it through this Christmas, just like the last three we've had, okay?"

Booth felt Brennan nodded her head as she buried her nose into his chest. He kissed the top of her head as she drew away from him. Goodman smiled warmly at the two, they really loved each other. Brennan looked down at the photo that she had given to Booth, "Any idea what this is?"

Booth looked down at the photo and shook his head, "No."

Brennan sighed, "Me neither. Try Dr. Goodman and try not to let anything else spill."

She started to walk away with a smirk when Booth smirked and called out, "You know, Bones, you make it very, very hard for me to be nice to you sometimes." Brennan looked backed and smiled widely at him.

~BONES~

Booth was in bone storage and had the contents of the suitcase lain out on a table. Goodman walked in and said, "I, ah, see you've decided to help Dr. Brennan with the case."

Booth looked up and smiled softly as he thought of Bones, "Oh, you know. If Angela's right, sure, why not. I mean… a little something for Bones. Call it Christmas spirit."

Goodman smirked at that. "Yes, if Miss Montenegro is right, my thoughts exactly. Um, I thought I might take a look at the contents of the suitcase with you."

Booth was a little surprised, "Why?"

Goodman shrugged as he walked over to the contents, "Ah, it beats cobbling together Christmas decorations out of pipettes and graduated cylinders."

Booth still didn't get it, "No, I mean, what makes you qualified to look at clues?"

Goodman brought his hands up a little, "Well, I'm an archaeologist. I'm good with artifacts. Do you mind?"

Booth was impressed; he didn't know that about Goodman. "No. Archaeologist? I thought you were an administrator."

Goodman smiled, "I didn't start out that way. " He began to look over the objects on the table. "He was fastidious. Everything neatly folded as thought by a trained valet. This man was by no means wealthy. All the clothing is well-used and mended."

Booth looked at the tag on the shirt, "Yeah, 'Blackman and Ball, Fine Tailors, Washington D.C.' The rest of his clothes are all labeled from Tulsa, Oklahoma."

Goodman picked up some papers on the table, "Huh. Female handwriting."

Booth looked at him even more surprised, "How'd you get that?"

Goodman smiled again, "After Cuneiform, handwriting is a snap. 'Dearest Lionel…'"

Booth looked at them, "No envelopes, no return address."

Goodman agreed, "No signature either, just this drawing of a leaf. It seems to be dated from the summer of 1957 through to winter of 1958. With your permission, I'll read these?"

Booth nodded, "Yeah. Bones thought you might know what, uh, this is here." He pointed down to a piece of paper.

Goodman examined it without touching it first while he stated, "You love her very much."

Booth looked up from what he was looking at surprised, "What?"

Goodman smiled slightly, "Dr. Brennan, I can see you love her very much and that she loves you back."

Booth looked at him confused, "How did you…?"

Goodman chuckled softly, "I saw you two hugging on the catwalk. Don't worry no one else saw you, but I thought I'd let you know, from someone on the outside looking in. I can tell you love each other very deeply."

Booth smiled lovingly as he thought of Brennan again, "Yeah. We do." Goodman smiled as he picked up the small object with tweezers as Booth's phone started to ring. He answered it after looking at the caller ID, "Oh. Hey, Rebecca. Yeah, thanks for calling. You heard what happened, right?"

Goodman was examining the object when he said more to himself, "Seems to be some kind of a pouch."

Booth turned slightly away from Goodman as he talked to a very angry Rebecca, "You don't have to see me. Sid agreed to bring him by." She was telling him that they couldn't see Parker and Booth wasn't going to have that. "We need to see him, he's my son. Don't make me beg." Goodman looked over and saw exactly what Booth was talking about last night. Booth whispered a, "Thank you." He then hung up.

Goodman looked at him and asked softly, "Everything alright?"

Booth looked at him for a second and answered back just as softly, "Yeah." He hated it when he had to fight for them to see Parker. Hated it.

~BONES~

Brennan and Hodgins were walking across one of the catwalks when Hodgins told Brennan, "Puparia show Lionel had valley fever."

Brennan shot him a look and said tersely, "We sort of knew that."

Hodgins was taken aback a little by Brennan's tone. "Wow, was that a shot? Because I apologized. I mean, Goodman doesn't get to see his family, Zack doesn't get to see his kids, Booth doesn't get to see his son. At least I'm an accidental Grinch. All due respect, you're the Grinch on purpose."

Brennan looked at him confused now, "I have no idea what you're saying to me."

Hodgins simply explained it to her, "The Grinch is a relatively well-known creation of a children's author named Dr. Seuss. Listen, I got Angela for my Secret Santa thing and what I wanna do is blow up a microscopic image of the toxic mold Stachybotrys chartarum because I know she's very interested in fractal imagery. I thought that might appeal to her aesthetically. Do you agree?"

Brennan shook her head. She didn't want to talk about gift giving. "I'm not really who you want to talk to about gifts."

Hodgins then thought of something strange, "Wait, you knew about Booth having a son and didn't tell us?"

Brennan felt her heart speed increase. She needed to think of something fast before a second person found out about them. "No, wait, Booth has a son?"

Hodgins' eyes widened, a little shocked, "Oh, wait, you didn't know?"

Brennan shook her head, "No."

Hodgins looked her in the face and looked to see if she was lying. He didn't see anything and he really didn't want to get beat up by Booth. "Oh I just thought that since you didn't say anything…I wasn't the one who told you." He then left her there. Brennan sighed in relief.

~BONES~

Booth was with Brennan in the upper lounge as he explained to her, "Yeah. Little guy, toupee, drank a vitamin tonic, carried his own compass, all of his stuff just so. Careful Lionel. What was he so worried about?"

Brennan shrugged, "Well, considering how he ended up… Hodgins almost found out that I knew about Parker.

Booth looked at her panicked, "Yeah."

Brennan brought up her hand to reassure him, "But, don't worry, I fixed it. How'd they find out?"

Booth sighed, "Well, nothing brings people together like a Christmas lung fungus." He turned back to his phone and finished his conversation, "Yes… That's great… When? … Great. Thank you. Merry Christmas." He hung up and told Brennan, "Lionel Little. 'Kay, he picked up his new suit November 7th, 1958. He paid cash. He was supposed to come back the next day for a shirt. But get this: he never showed up. It was his wedding shirt."

Brennan nodded her head when she sneezed all of a sudden.

Booth looked surprised at the sudden outburst, "Whoa, bless you." That's when they both realized what that could mean, and their eyes widened. "Uh oh. Is that valley fever? Bones…" Brennan looked at him, concerned and worried.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were the last to go. Dr. Goodman had the rest of the team looking at the contents of the suitcase for more clues. While they waited Brennan asked Booth, "You know I didn't mean to hurt you when I said that about Parker, right?"

Booth looked down and saw the sincerity in her eyes. He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles softly, "Yeah, I know Bones."

Brennan rested her head against his shoulder as she said, "I'm very happy that you have Parker. You are a wonderful father Booth, don't ever doubt that."

Booth kissed the top of head just as Sid appeared on the opposite side of the glass with Parker. Both Booth and Brennan crouched down to his level, smiling at him. They could hear him call out, "Daddy! Bones!" Brennan always chuckled when Parker called her that. Just like his father. They talked for a few minutes, Booth told him that they would see him later and celebrate Christmas. Booth put his hand up against the glass, followed by Parker putting his hand against it where his hand was. Parker than moved his hand so that he could do the same for Brennan. She smiled softly at him and brought her hand up too. "We love you Parker." Parker smiled brightly at them and said, "Love you too." Then their time together was up and Sid was leading him away. They both waved goodbye as Parker waved at them.

Brennan turned into Booth and hugged him tightly. "Thank you Booth. Thank you for giving me this." Booth hugged her back fiercely and whispered, "Your welcome."

~BONES~

Booth had listened to his wife tell Angela her story. He felt his heart break for her over again. He knocked softly and said, "Excuse me… We have Lionel's Missing Persons file."

Brennan looked up and he saw relief flood through her eyes. She turned to Angela and said, "The tree is really, really beautiful, Ange. Really." She got up and left with Booth. When they were out of earshot and the sight of everyone, Booth drew Brennan close to his side and whispered, "I'm sorry Bren."

Brennan wrapped her arms around him for a few seconds just taking in his warmth and whispered, "I'm glad I have you here Booth." She then released him and smiled warmly at him.

~BONES~

Brennan was in her office, seated at her desk, with some of Lionel's things. She picked up one of the coins and slid it into the small pouch. Booth walked in and asked, "You find something?"

Brennan nodded slowly, "Two things that fit together."

Booth leaned in and rubbed her arm. "Angela sent me. She says it's Christmas."

Brennan looked up and smiled sadly, "Okay."

Booth smiled and squeezed he arm gently, "You still think there's more to learn about Lionel Little and Ivy Gillespie?"

She put the coin on her pad and said, "There's always more to learn." Booth nodded and gave her hand one last squeeze before he started to head out. Brennan turned toward him and called out, "Booth, I'm sorry we didn't get Christmas morning with Parker."

Booth smiled sadly and said, "Thanks, Bones."

~BONES~

Everyone hurriedly gathered there things and left. Booth pretended to leave with everyone and then hung back. He turned around and smiled at Brennan. "You coming, Bones?"

Brennan smiled, "I need to finish up some things here. I'll meet you at Wong Foo's. Go. Go have Christmas with Parker."

Booth hesitated for a second and then he saw that she was being sincere. "Okay, we'll wait for you there."

~BONES~

Brennan walked through the door of Wong Foo's and sat next to Booth at the bar. Sid approached them, Santa hat on his head, with glasses of eggnog. Brennan smiled, "Drinks?"

Sid smiled, "Ah, yes. Christmas spirits, well, thee come in many a guise."

Booth held up his cup and said, "Cheers."

All three of them clinked their glasses together. After taking a sip, Brennan turned to Booth and said, "Ivy Gillespie came to the lab after you left, with her granddaughter." Booth smiled at Brennan, proud of her. Brennan asked, "Don't you want to know what happened?"

Booth smiled softly at her, "I know what happened. You told her about Careful Lionel. You showed her the letters, the tickets. She cried. But you made her happy."

Brennan added, "Not to mention I gave her a penny worth over a hundred thousand dollars."

Booth shook his head, "She won't care about that today. You just gave somebody the best Christmas gift they could every get. Who's the Secret Santa now?" He nudged her playful.

Brennan laughed, but said anyways, "Stop." Which made Zach's small robot, lean forward and start to do push-ups.

Booth looked at it amazed, "Whoa." They both laughed at the little thing, when Booth said, "And that weirdo assistant of yours just made me the coolest dad in the world."

That's when they heard Parker's shout, "Daddy!" He came running toward Booth still shouting, "Daddy!" Booth bent down and picked him up, kissing him on the cheek. Brennan let them have their moment together, loving to watch Booth be a father.

Booth handed Parker the robot and said, "Hey, look. Look at this thing."

Parker took hold of it and asked excitedly, "Can it flip?"

Booth chuckled and answered, "How cool, it can flip, trip, swim, whatever you want." Booth then leaned in and whispered, "Look who else is here."

Parker looked up and saw Brennan, "Bones! Merry Christmas!"

Brennan stood up from her stool and walked over to them, giving Parker a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas Parker."

Booth smiled down at them, entwining his fingers with Brennan's as they left Wong Foo's, saying, "Okay, big guy let's go home."

~BONES~

Booth sat with Brennan on their couch, watching reruns on the television. Brennan looked sideways at the small green box underneath the side table. She stood up slowly and walked over to it, picking it up. Booth watched her as she walked back over to him, "Bones?"

Brennan looked at him and smiled sadly, "I think it's time I opened these up."

Booth merely nodded and watched her take one of the gifts out and open the card that on the front 'Ho! Ho! Ho!'. She slowly read inside of it. Merry Christmas! To our Temperance, Much Love, Mom and Dad, Merry Christmas. She set the card down to the side with tears pricking her eyes and picked up the present. She peeled off some of the wrapping paper and pulled out a plain white box. She opened up the box, looked inside, and smiled, teary eyed. She leaned back and wrapped her arm around Booth's as he kissed her forehead. He whispered, "I'm proud of you, Bones."

She smiled a little bit more at that. She was stronger because of Booth. She was happy to have him with her there, giving her the support she needed. She loved that man. Very much.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – The Woman at the Airport**

Brennan walked into her office to find Booth sitting in her desk chair with a very cheerful smile gracing his face. Her face immediately shifted to annoyance as she walked towards him. She really didn't want to talk to him right then, they had had a fight that morning and she wasn't sure if she could talk to him without acting irrational. She sighed aggravated, "I need a receptionist. I can't just have anybody waltzing in here."

Booth shifted in the seat, "Take a look at this." He held up some sheets of papers and handed them to Brennan.

Brennan looked down and tried to focus, "A bunch of red circles?"

Booth stood up and smiled widely. He wanted to patch things up with his wife from their fight from earlier. He realized now that he was wrong, in some way. "Each circle shows were a body part was found."

Brennan furrowed her brow, "What is this, an airport?"

Booth nodded, "Los Angeles International. Local pathologist says the remains are in pretty bad shape."

Brennan looked at Booth slightly confused, "So he punted it to the FBI."

Booth explained, "Airports, they fall under Federal jurisdiction." And then he thought to add a compliment, "Excellent use of the word punt."

Brennan narrowed her eyes at Booth's compliment, already catching on to what he was doing. She handed the images back to him and said, "I can't go to Los Angeles. I have an Iron Age warrior to authenticate."

Booth didn't believe that she was actually turning down a case like this for an… "Iron Age warrior, when was the Iron Age?"

Brennan shrugged and said off-handedly, "Fifteen hundred years ago."

Booth could've just rolled his eyes at Brennan's way of trying to avoid Booth. "Fresh body bits just a little more urgent."

Brennan glared slightly at her husband. "You do realize there are a lot more fresh bodies then there are perfect specimens from the Iron Age?"

Booth sighed, "You know, when you say things like that it's just to bug me, right?" He saw the slightest smirk grace Brennan's face. Oh yeah, she was still angry at him.

~BONES~

Dr. Goodman is seated at his desk and across from him are Brennan and Booth, arguing. Goodman sighed loudly, "Do we have to go through this every time?"

Booth smiled at Goodman, "Exactly."

Brennan glared openly at Booth and then looked back at Goodman, "Booth can't just walk in and say pack your bags we're going to LA."

Booth sighed again, "Oh, yeah, yeah, the whole Ice Age warrior thing."

Dr. Goodman and Brennan said at the same time, "Iron Age." Brennan glared at Booth and then said in a strained tone, "And that's not the only thing."

Dr. Goodman picked up on the anger in her voice and knew that the two must be having some kind of fight. He really didn't want to get in the middle of that. Sure, he knew that the two were married and that they were in love. He was happy for them but that didn't mean that he wanted to play referee each time the two had an argument. He sighed and tried to not take sides. "Homeland Security has just asked Dr. Brennan to identify three bodies found dead in…" He looked at Brennan for some help.

Brennan added quickly, "I'm not allowed to say."

Dr. Goodman looked back at Booth and said with authority, "The point is Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan is in great demand on several pressing cases and she's needed here at the museum. Why should I send her to California?"

Booth smiled and leaned forward a little, having an idea to spin for Goodman, "Sexy case in Hollywood. How much more good press could the Jeffersonian get?"

Dr. Goodman folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward. His interest was piqued. Booth did have a good point and maybe giving the two of them some time alone with each other would resolved whatever problem they were having.

Brennan on the other hand couldn't believe what she was witnessing. "But, Dr. Goodman, you said the Iron Age warrior was of the highest priority."

Dr. Goodman smiled softly at her attempt to persuade him, "I can step in on that case. You pack your bags."

~BONES~

Booth was wearing sunglasses and a content smile while driving a black convertible mustang. Brennan was riding shotgun and she was bating Booth now angry at him for two reasons. "This car doesn't feel very FBI-y."

Booth looked at her through the corner of his eye, "Bones this is a nineteen sixty-six Mustang. It's a classic and what goes better then that with the FBI?"

Brennan knew just how she could get back at him for making her come here. "How come on the rental agreement under model you made the guy write sedan?"

Booth couldn't believe his wife. They were in California of all places and all she could focus on was the stupid (beautiful) car. "C'mon. We're in California." He put his arm around her shoulders and smiled, "Look palm trees."

Brennan didn't give up though, "You know I'd like to drive sometimes."

Now she was just messing with him and Booth wasn't going to play along. "Look, our contact out here is Special Agent Trisha Finn."

Brennan still kept pushing the topic. "I'm an excellent driver."

Booth had to roll his eyes at that, "Okay, Rain Man."

Brennan looked at him confused, "I don't know what that means."

Booth sighed at Brennan's lack of pop culture. "I'm always gonna drive. You know that, right? Me behind the wheel; you over there on the grandma side."

Brennan pulled out the big guns then, smirking slightly, "I'm not above telling Deputy Director Cullen what kind of car you rented."

Brennan was now driving and Booth was pouting in the passenger seat. He couldn't believe that Brennan just did that. The little minx.

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth were standing against the rail at the far end of the roof of their hotel. They were discussing the case, but Booth kept going back to how lavish a hotel they were staying in. "If we weren't together, I'd be staying at a hotel that doesn't even have a pool. This is amazing!"

Brennan looked at him with a small smile. The things that made Booth happy. "Well, you're welcome. Booth we need to talk about…"

But Agent Finn walked over to Booth and Brennan before she could finish that sentence. "Well, the breast implant lead went nowhere."

Brennan went immediately into work mode. "What about the serial numbers?"

Finn stated, "Uh, the implants were reported stolen six months ago. Our victim must have gotten them off the black market."

Brennan couldn't believe that bit. "There's a black market in breast implants?"

Finn nodded her head. "Yeah, we have the name of the doctor from whom the implants were stolen."

Brennan still couldn't believe that. "Who uses a black market breast implant?"

Booth shrugged, "Back alley plastic surgeons use them. They're not even real doctors."

Finn decided to veer off topic, "Are you going to write the screenplay?"

Brennan was thrown by that question, trying to focus on work. "What screenplay?"

Finn clarified, "The one based on your book."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders, "Well I guess maybe the producer I'm meeting will tell me."

Booth really didn't like this agent he was working with, so he said in a firm tone. "Okay guys; let's turn our attention back to the murder victim. I'd like to go pay a visit to Dr. Boobs."

Finn looked at Booth confused. "Why? If implants were stolen from him, he won't know anything."

Booth couldn't believe that she was an agent. "Because it's the only lead that we've got Finn and leads are great for screen plays or even, say, if you're actually working a real case." Finn looked at him slightly annoyed and Booth whistled in response to her lack of thought toward their case.

~BONES~

Booth set the breast implant from the dead girl down on the doctor's desk. Brennan and the doctor are already seated at the desk and Booth joins them while asking, "Do you recognize this Dr. Kostov?"

Kostov looked at the implant and stated, "That would be your high profile double lumen full 'C' saline."

Booth elaborated, "Yeah it's from a shipment of implants you reported stolen six months ago."

Kostov looked up at Booth and then down at the one implant. "I have a hard time believing you're returning one implant to me."

Brennan wanted to roll her eyes. People like Kostov shouldn't even be called doctors. "I found it in the remains of a murdered girl."

Booth asked, "Have many more of those stolen implants been recovered?"

Kostov nodded and answered awkwardly, "Yeah. Approximately three weeks ago there was a uh, faulty one that had to be removed by a surgeon out in the valley."

Booth urged him on, "From whom?"

Kostov sighed, "A Heidi"

Brennan looked between the two men and said, "I don't know what that means."

Booth looked at Brennan and explained, "LA speak for call girl."

Kostov rushed in to try and be as helpful as possible. "LAPD was investigating. They can tell you what agency the girl was working for." He then looked at Brennan and said, "You have the most beautiful bone structure."

Brennan looked at him with a cold look in her eyes. "I can't take credit. It's genetic."

Kostov leaned forward and asked, "How old are you?"

Brennan leaned back in her chair, getting angry at this 'doctor'. "Why do you want to know?"

Kostov answered smoothly while getting up and walking to her, "Well it's never too early to watch problem areas, the jaw, little pouches beneath the eyes. Do you mind?"

Booth smirked slightly and warned. "You touch her; she'll break your arm. She thinks what you do is…"

Brennan glared at him full on now and finished for Booth, "Barbaric."

Booth saw that the doctor was now looking at him and laughed, "No, don't look at me. I like my face the way it is."

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth were sitting across a small table from a classy looking businesswoman. Agent Finn was pacing in the background. They were discussing the remains and the stolen breast implant. Brennan said, "According to LAPD, a black market breast implant from the same shipment showed up in another girl from Aphrodite Escorts."

Finn jumped in, "Are you missing anyone?"

Booth gave Finn a look and then said kindly, "We're not looking into your business, Miss Bardu. We're just trying to solve a murder."

Bardu thought about it for a few seconds and then looked at Booth, "I haven't heard from Rachel in two weeks."

Finn once again jumped ahead of Booth, "Is that unusual?"

Booth now gave her a full on glare while he said, "I prefer to ask the questions my own way, Agent Finn. Thanks."

Bardu ignored the two of them and answered the question, "Rachel booked out at a one-week rate. She knows to check in with me if the client wants to extend the contract. It's time to worry."

Brennan handed Bardu the pictures Angela had sent her, "Do any of these women resemble Rachel?"

Bardu flipped through them and said, "If I had to pick one, this is the closest, but not really."

Booth asked, "Does Rachel have a last name?"

Bardu chuckled softly, "Rachel wasn't even her real first name."

Finn said tentatively so as not to upset Booth again, "Ah, she goes by Rachel Ashaunce."

Bardu told them, "Rachel went to Vegas with a long time customer."

Booth leaned forward and put on his charm. "I need his name…" He could see that Bardu looked like she wasn't going to answer, so he charmed her a little bit more, "Miss Bardu it's always the same story, beautiful young woman…somebody wants to meet her, somebody can't have her, somebody dies."

Bardu sighed, "Dr. Anton Kostov, an assembly line nip tucker in town. If that's all?"

Booth smiled and asked in a silky voice that made Brennan's toes curl involuntarily, "Do you have a card Miss Bardu?"

Bardu smiled at Booth as she handed him a card, "We provide a law enforcement discount."

Booth took the card and smiled, "Ah."

Brennan wanted to ask one last question before they left, "Miss Bardu, do you have any idea of what Rachel looked like before her plastic surgery?"

Bardu smiled sadly at her, "Which time?"

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth were looking at on-screen visuals of the skull. They were bouncing ideas off of each other. Booth picked up a cell phone and tapped it on the table while Brennan told him, "The victim had her leg crushed probably in a car accident around age thirteen." That's when she noticed Booth was calling someone on her cell. "Excuse me! That's my cell phone."

Zach relayed, "I analyzed the molars. Oxygen and stranti mysotopes in enamel indicate early childhood in New England while the dentin suggests six to ten years in southern California."

Booth talked into phone, "Hey, Miss. Bardu. Hi. Special Agent Booth. I've reconsidered your offer. I was wondering if I could have one of your ladies visit me today?"

Brennan looked at Booth in disbelief. "You're ordering a prostitute from my cell phone, in front of me?"

Booth hushed Brennan and said in the phone, "I was wondering if Rachel ever took part in any of those two on one specials?"

Hodgins smiled and said, "Hey the old two on one special, classic."

Zach looked on confused, "What's a classic?"

Booth finished up his conversation, "That's great. Just send me whoever she worked with the most."

Brennan looked at him in disbelief again. He wouldn't do that to her. So what if she was still mad at him. "You're ordering a hooker to our hotel?"

Zach completely missed the 'our' part and just went right to, "Did I hear you say hooker?"

Hodgins huffed slightly, missing that part too. "How come I never get to go on these out of town trips?" Brennan ended the video chat and just glared at Booth.

Booth walked over to Brennan and grabbed her shoulders softly, " Because I need to see if this girl knows anything else about Rachel. I'm just going to talk with her. You know I would never cheat on you, Bones. Plus, you have much looser daily allowances then I do."

Brennan sighed, aggravated with herself for getting jealous. Maybe she shouldn't really be that mad at Booth. She offered him a small reassuring smile, "Well have fun. I have to get up early tomorrow."

Booth looked at her confused, "Why?"

Brennan told him, "I'm meeting a producer."

~BONES~

Booth was once again driving the Mustang with Brennan riding shotgun. They were discussing the case. He bounced off, "Scenario number one, prostitute gets breast augmentation from plastic surgeon in return for sex. She threatens to tell on him."

Brennan nodded, "Plausible."

Booth went to his second one. "Scenario number two, jealous boyfriend…well yada yada …you know the rest. Which do you like?"

Brennan answered honestly, "Neither."

Booth sighed in frustration, "Because there's no real evidence."

Brennan tried to joke with him to lighten his mood, "Unless you count a volleyball. Sounds like you're getting ready to quit." She said the latter part with a hint of concern in her voice.

Booth shook his head, "Quit? No. It's just the Deputy Director wants me to hand the case over to the LA field office. We're supposed to give Agent Finn what we've got and go home."

Brennan couldn't believe what she was hearing from Booth, "What? Forget it. You don't even like Agent Finn. You think she's an idiot."

Booth tried to reason with her. "Bones, the whole case is a bust. It's a blank. I mean we don't have anything. We checked her apartment, nothing. There are no pictures, nothing. We don't know what she looked like. We don't know her name."

Brennan shook her head in disgust. "It's like she lived on the world instead of in it. Cullen is calling you back because he thinks I'm at a dead end. You have to tell him he's wrong."

Booth pulled the car over and parked. He looked at his wife and asked, "Is he wrong?"

Brennan looked at him with the same amount of seriousness, "We know we're looking for someone who grew up in New England and moved here about eight years ago. Her leg was crushed in a car accident when she was thirteen. She was on a boat shortly before she was murdered. We know some of her names and some of her faces."

Booth sighed and leaned back against his seat, "That's all your stuff, okay. Usually by now we know more about my stuff."

Brennan looked at him confused, "We have separate stuff?"

Booth tried to explain, "Yeah by now I usually have a feel for the person. What they wanted. How they felt. What was going on in their lives? With this girl, nothing."

Brennan tried to give him something. "She thought she was ugly. She did everything she could to make herself beautiful and all she did was make herself more invisible."

Booth was getting aggravated now at this whole scenario. "Everybody in this city thinks they're ugly, huh, and nobody is. I'm starting to get why you hate anonymous death so much."

Brennan told him passionately, "We were born unique. Our experiences mold and change us. We become someone. All of us and to have that taken away by murder, to be erased from existence against our will, it's just…"

Booth could see that she was searching for a word and threw out, "Evil?"

Brennan looked at him and said with great passion, "Unacceptable. These bones you bring me, I give them a face. I say their names out loud. I return them to their loved ones and you arrest the bad guy. I like that."

Booth smiled at Brennan a squeezed her hand, "So do I."

Booth continued to looked at Brennan for a few seconds in awe at her passion. Brennan looked at him and narrowed her eyes, "What?"

Booth smiled and kissed her softly on the lips, "You just reminded me of one of the reason why I fell in love with you. You're remarkable Bones."

Brennan smiled softly and said even softer, "I just feel like we should be arresting these doctors because whether they killed her or not they…they still erased her."

Booth squeezed her hand one last time and said, "Well, maybe I could hold off calling for a day."

Brennan sighed, "It's not good enough."

Booth started the car again and said with a smile, "Your welcome."

~BONES~

Brennan was watching from afar as Booth sat and waited for Leslie. Leslie arrived and they grasped hands before sitting. Booth held Leslie's hand and leant in to whisper in her ear. She smiled as he leaned back. He turned her hand over and looked at her fingernails. Very gently Booth pulled one of the nails off. It was a fake and underneath was ravaged skin as if the nail had been pulled off. Leslie lost her smile and Booth gestured to FBI agents waiting in the wings. Finn and another Agent handcuffed Leslie but before they took her away she leant in and whispered something to Booth. He smiled sadly and nodded his head in the affirmative.

Brennan had her hand on a railing near the edge of the roof as she watched Booth walk up to her. Booth told her, "She thought Atlas was going to take her out of that life."

Brennan said sadly, "He wanted the girl next door. You were right, jealousy."

Booth sighed, "Well it's an old story. Bet your fifteen hundred year old friend back home heard a version. Leslie thought Rachel was stealing her man so she killed her."

Brennan asked after a moment of silence came over them, "What did she ask you?"

Booth looked down at her confused, "What?"

Brennan leaned into him and said, "She asked you something after she was arrested. What was it?"

Booth looked out to where Leslie had been arrested, "She asked me if I thought she was beautiful." Booth wrapped his arm around Brennan's waist and said, "I got one more thing for you." He pulled some papers out of his back pocket and showed them to her, "I had the Bureau search for adolescent girls that were injured in car crashes in the upper northeast ten to twelve years ago." Booth handed Brennan the newspaper clipping. "Daughter's right leg was crushed."

Brennan read the article, "Allison. Her name was Allison Holmes."

Booth squeezed her hip gently, "Her father and her brother are still alive somewhere in Bangor, Maine. We will return the remains."

Brennan rested her head against his shoulder and whispered, "Thanks Booth."

Booth kissed the top of her head and smiled, "Well, Bones, you do your thing. I do mine."

Brennan looked at the picture of her in the paper, "Look at her."

Booth sighed, "Yeah, pretty little thing."

They stood like that for a while until Brennan broke the silence again. "Booth, I'm sorry for being mad at you. I've realized now that I was…"

But Booth cut her off, "Bren, wait." He turned her so that she was looking at him, "You've always said that I was an alpha male and that as an alpha male I like to claim my property. But Bones you aren't property. I don't own you. You are my wife and yeah, I'll get mad and jealous when another man hits on you but I shouldn't have reacted like that at the bar. I know you can take care of yourself. Hell, I knew that the moment I met you. I just need to work on my alpha male tendencies." He said the last part with a small smile.

Brennan laughed softly and brought her hand to cup his cheek. "Booth, you and I were both wrong. You were wrong for punching that man and I was wrong for being mad at you for so long. I've realized that even I can get jealous. Even though it's completely irrational. But loving someone isn't rational. When you called Miss Bardu I was very jealous and angry. Even though I knew deep down that you would never cheat on me, I was jealous. And that's because I love you very much and I don't want to share you with anyone else. You are mine Seeley, only mine. I should have seen that you were just trying to let other men know that I am with you and only you." Brennan raised herself up so that her lips touched his softly.

Booth smiled and whispered against her lips, "So, our fight is over? We were both wrong."

Brennan smiled and leaned her forehead against his, "Yes, our fight is over."

Booth leaned his lips just a little bit closer and whispered, "Do you wanna have make-up sex?"

Brennan laughed as she leaned in a feverishly kissed her husband on his lips. He was hers only, whether he liked it or not. But from that bulge in his pants, she would like to say he would agree with her whole-heartedly.

A/N: I know, short. But I know for SURE that everyone will LOVE an upcoming chapter! *squeals* YOU GET TO FIND OUT HOW THESE TWO MET! I'll give you a hint….it has a 3 and a 1 in the chapter number =P (And no, it's not 31) So go ahead and see what episode that is and try to figure out how they met!


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones but it doesn't mean I can't dream of it.**

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 **Chapter 11 – The Woman in the Car**

Brennan was uncomfortable being interviewed by Stacie Goodyear on her newest novel Bred in the Bone. Yet she had to do this. The woman began to speak as the cameras rolled, "I'm Stacie Goodyear and joining me on Wake Up, D.C. is Dr. Temperance Brennan. She is the Author of the best selling mystery novel Bred in the Bone and she's also, now tell me if I get this wrong, an anthropologist who works with the F.B.I. to solve crimes?"

Brennan nodded her head. "Yes, that's correct. I use the bones of people who have been murdered, or burned, or blown up, or eaten by animals or insect or just decomposed."

Stacie looked at her and then said a little sarcastically, "Well that's exciting. Uh Dr. Brennan your book has sold over 300,00 copies. How do you juggle twin careers as a best-selling author and a crime-fighting scientist?"

Brennan thought about it and said exactly how she did, literally. "Well, I do one, then the other."

Stacie was beginning to find Brennan odd and hard to interview. She tried to work with what she had, "And is the work enjoyable? I mean, the part involving rotten bodies?"

Brennan pursed her lips and said while tilting her head, "Enjoyable? Well, satisfying, yes. Like cracking a code. But in general, when you're looking at someone who's been brutally murdered . . . it's complicated."

Stacie chuckled awkwardly, "'Cause I just thought, you know, yuck!" She laughed some more and then sighed when she saw Brennan herself was not laughing. "Doesn't leave you much time for a personal life, does it?"

Brennan saw Booth enter the room and take a seat off-screen. She smiled internally as she lied straight through her teeth, "It's true I'm more focused on my career right now"

Booth motioned for Brennan to smile as Stacie said, "Most of our viewers are parents at home with their preschool-aged children." However Brennan wasn't paying much attention to her as she watched Booth continue to urge her to smile more. Brennan attempted but it never reached her eyes. She really didn't want to be there. Brennan then heard Stacie ask, "What will you tell your kids about the horrors that you see every day?"

Brennan continues to look at Booth as she says, "I'm not going to have any children." Stacie was taken aback while Booth stared right back at Brennan. This had been an ongoing discussion for them since they got serious. He was still trying to make her see why it would be good to have a child. But he'd love her either way – whether they had a child together or not.

Stacie sort of spluttered out, "Really?"

Brennan nodded her head, surprised that Booth didn't have much of a reaction to that. "Yes, really."

Stacie was nearly speechless as she searched for another topic. "Do you have any advice for budding authors out there?"

Brennan tried to think about it and stumbled with her words. "Well, the first thing you should have is an idea and then . . . well first you need something to write with. They . . . they know that. Well, obviously you need a writing instrument and you need an idea." Booth looked to the floor feeling bad for Brennan. He knew she hated doing interviews. "I'm just not sure which should come first."

The TV show theme music played in the background as Stacie said, "The book is Bred in the Bone by Dr. Temperance Brennan. Next up after the break, 'Wicker, the new leather but is it safe for your children?'" Stacie got up to leave eyeing Brennan as she left.

Brennan stood to head for Booth forgetting she was attached by a microphone. She stumbled back slightly as she asked, "How was I?"

Booth looked at her and cringed internally, "We'll talk about it on the way?"

Brennan took off the microphone and questioned, "On the way where?"

~BONES~

Brennan was off the platform discussing the case with Booth, when he asked, "How close are you to IDing the victim?"

Brennan looked at him and said, "I may be jumping the gun but…"

Booth interrupted her and said, "That's music to my ears."

Brennan smiled softly, glad she could make him slightly happy. "Considering this 48 hour thing, we should be looking at eastern European immigrants going back 10 years."

Booth wanted to just kiss his wife, but said instead, "I can get that information for you. Angela doing facial reconstruction?"

Brennan nodded, "Yes."

Booth placed his hand on the small of her back as he started to guide her toward Angela's office and said, "You know if this works, I'm gonna buy you a puppy."

Brennan frowned at that idea, "That would be inadvisable. Neither of us are home enough to take care of a dog." She then jumped to another topic, "You never told me how I was this morning. I asked, 'How did I do?' You said, 'We'll talk about it in the car.' We never did."

Booth tried to hide his discomfort. "It was fine, you know, for your first live interview."

Brennan looked at him with a sidelong glance, "That was a qualified response."

Booth tried to play it off, "What? No. It was lively"

Brennan glared at him slightly as they entered Angela's office, "Lively? What kind of words is that?"

Booth played dumb, "It's an adjective. Though ironically, most works that end in a 'Y' are adverbs, like 'ironically.'"

Brennan stopped him and asked seriously, "Okay, what did I do wrong?"

Booth sighed and rubbed his face, "Next time, tell a funny story. Oh, and never, never say you don't like children."

Brennan was taken aback by the last statement he had made. She whispered to him so Angela would hear their conversation, "I didn't say I don't like children. You know I like children. I said I don't want any."

Booth tried to explain, "On TV it's the same thing."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were in the SUV driving. Brennan told Booth, "Polina and Carl separated three months ago, separated addresses for Mom and Dad."

Booth sighed. He hated cases like this one. "Well we know that Mom is in a drawer back in your lab. Lets go find Dad."

Brennan looked back and smiled as she said jokingly, "Did you need to arrest someone really small?" She then pointed to car seat at Booth's confused face, "Car seat in back."

Booth chuckled at that. "Funny Bones. I forgot to put it away after I dropped off Parker this morning."

Brennan smiled but then sighed immediately afterward, "I don't know how you do that."

Booth knew what she was talking about. The real reason she didn't want to have a child, but he tried to play it off. "Install a car seat in an FBI vehicle?"

Brennan gave him a look that told him to stop. "Bring a kid into this world, knowing what you know. I mean, I know Parker was an accident, still. To know everything that you do know about how harsh this world is and still…it's just doesn't seem rational."

Booth had stopped at a red light and looked at her, trying to decide what to say. He went with, "It's better for Parker being in the world. Someday you will see that."

Brennan shook her head, "You know I love Parker like my own son, but I just don't see that happening. I just know I won't.

Booth started to drive again as the light changed to green saying, "You'll change your mind. Trust me."

Brennan shook her head, being stubborn. "I don't do that."

Booth smiled at her lie. "You have and you will."

Brennan glared at him, seeing what he was saying. After all when she met him she didn't believe in love and look at her now. She was married. She huffed and said, "Yeah, maybe after I see how Decker reacts when you tell him his wife is dead and his child has been kidnapped."

Booth shrugged his shoulders, "Well statistically speaking, we're gonna find Donovan with his dad."

Brennan looked at him in shock. "What? Why?"

Booth smiled brightly at her, trying to make what he was about to say sound not so bad, "Because most kidnappings happen by estranged spouses."

Brennan smirked at him and said wirily, "You're certainly making the whole domestic scene more and more attractive."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan came up on the house as Brennan asked, "This is it?"

Booth nodded his head, "Yeah. This is the correct address. You just hang back and let me do all the talking. Okay?" Booth knocked on the door and motioned for Brennan to hang back. "Mr. Decker!" Booth noticed Brennan heading for the window and whispered yelled, "Bones, what are you doing?"

Brennan looked at him and said exasperatedly, "What?" She looked through the window and said, "Oh, it's tidy, Spartan even. Is that normal for a recently separated man?"

Booth nodded and said while looking around, "Guy's supposed to be some super-rational, tight-ass Geek. No offense." He took notice of something as he was speaking though.

Brennan continued to observe, "There's no TV, no magazines, no art, no stereo." Booth saw a man with binoculars looking at them from a vehicle; he glanced back at Brennan before heading off to the vehicle as Brennan continued to observe, "There's dust on everything. I don't think he's been here in a while." She turned, noticing Booth walking off, "Where are you going? Booth? Where are you going?"

Booth heard the engine start in the car and he took off in a jog reaching for his gun. Brennan started to run after him as well.

Booth saw the car starting to pull away and said, "Son of a bitch!" He swung his arm back as he came up to the cars window, breaking the driver side window with the butt of his gun. Brennan came up on the back of the vehicle as another man tried to exit through the back window. She grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Booth yanked the driver out of seat onto ground pointing his gun at him. He yelled, "FBI!" Then he heard the driver yell "US Marshalls!" And then a gun was being pointed at him and his wife. He did not like that one bit. This case was getting under his skin.

~BONES~

Brennan came up on Booth obviously irritated, "Where have you been?"

Booth sighed, "I'm a field agent. I was out in the field. What did you find?"

Brennan told him, "A piece of an ear in the victim's mouth. Looks like she bit it off, could tell us something? What did you find?" She starts to walk off and Booth followed her as she asked, "Found anything?"

Booth told her irritation leaking into his voice, "A lot. No reason for the attitude."

Brennan turned around as she entered her office and said, "I beg your pardon?"

Booth invaded her personal space, "It's not like you've been doing all the work and I've just been kicking back."

Brennan stepped even closer as she said, "Okay. Well what have you found out."

Booth took one step closer to the point where their bodies where touching each other. "The victim and her husband were having marital problems. She found motel receipts. I got security tapes from the parking lot. I thought Angela could use her Fat Recognition Program on them."

Brennan corrected him a little breathlessly, "Mass Recognition Program." This tension between them was making her extremely turned on.

Booth started to lower his head as he whispered, "Whatever." He then captured her lips with his and devoured them. He tangled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss even more. He started to push her against her desk, bringing her to lay on it. Booth started to unbutton her shirt when Brennan gained some of her senses back.

She pushed against his chest and said huskily, "Booth, we need to stop. I'm at work."

Booth looked down at his wife and stepped back in shock. For one thing, he was turned on immensely by the sight of her swollen lips and her heaving chest, revealing her black lacy bra. And the other was the fact that he just completely lost control. "Oh god Bones, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just…"

Brennan smiled softly and said, "Reacted. Booth, really its fine and I wish we could continue, but we can't risk people walking in or looking through my windows."

Booth sighed and raked his hands through his own hair. "Right, okay. So maybe we'll be able to figure out who Decker was seeing behind his wife's back. Is Angela in her office?" Brennan shrugged and watched him walk off toward her office while trying to hide his evident arousal as best as possible.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were in the car, sirens wailing. Booth called in, "BUGAR-4, accessory proceeding to 4413 L Street, KBC Systems. Requesting local cowboys for backup, possible 10-31."

Brennan looked at Booth amused, "Did you just refer to me as an accessory?"

Booth looked at her and told her seriously, "You asked me what I would do if I were Decker. They kill my wife, they take my little boy. I'm going to the source of the problem. I take him out."

Brennan looked at him confused, "Take him out . . . like?" Booth gave her a serious look, answering her question. "Oh."

~BONES~

Brennan was examining the child's finger. "An eight-year-old boy. Yes, that's consistent with what I'm looking at. You should really send this to an FBI pathologist."

Booth shook his head, "They give me fingerprints, DNA, we already know who the finger belongs to. I-I need more."

Bren looked at him confused, "Like what?"

Booth let out a frustrated noise, "What-you gave me a South African mechanic from a chunk of burnt ear. Do it again. Do it better. Do it fast." Brennan turned staring at him. "What? Start. Come on, do what you do."

Brennan tried to reason with him, "You're kind of worked up."

Booth told her the hard truth, "What you see is a bunch of facts. I see a terrified little boy with his finger cut off. Now is he even still alive?"

Brennan turned back to finger, "Blood saturation levels in the surrounding tissues are high. His heart was still beating when they removed the finger."

Booth nodded his head, relieved. "Okay. He's alive. That's something."

Brennan shook her head, disgusted by this. "Who does this? Cut's the finger off an eight-year-old boy."

Booth just told her the truth, "Mercenaries. Professionals. They don't feel a thing."

Brennan turned to look at him in the eyes. "I feel things Booth."

Booth brushed his finger lightly over her cheek, "I never said you didn't Bones."

Brennan leaned in slightly to his touch, "I'm a professional, too. I do better work if I only see the finger and not the child. It doesn't mean I'm like them."

Booth smiled softly, "Look, I know that Bones. But what I also know is that they made a big mistake sending us that finger."

Brennan smiled at him too, "Why? Because it made you mad?"

Booth placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeezed, "No. Because you're going to use it to catch them. So, you gather up your squint squad. Let's get to work."

~BONES~

Brennan looked at Booth and asked, "You can triangulate her position?"

Booth nodded his head, "Yeah to within 75 square miles. There was six abandoned gas stations in that area. There were five urban one rural. S..'s team gonna check them all out but I think it's the rural one."

Brennan looked at him again and asked, "Why?"

Booth sighed, "Because I use to do this kind of work."

Brennan brought her hand to his and squeezed it. "Oh. Booth you are not these men and you never were."

Booth tried not to think of that. "If I had choice, I'd pick the isolated rural one. The place is perfect. It's an abandoned truck repair depot. S.W.A.T. team will meet us there."

Brennan could see that Booth didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, so she said, "Why don't we ever take my car?"

Booth smiled at her and said, "Do you have bullet-proof vests in the trunk?"

Brennan shook her head, "No."

Booth laughed and said, "That's why."

~BONES~

One of the SWAT team members handed a gun to Booth and said, "The F.L.I.R. Imagery gives us three adults within this structure."

Booth asked immediately, "Boy?"

The man shook his head, "No reading?"

Booth nodded curtly, "Probably because he's small. Hypothermic."

The member nodded his head, "Entirely possible, sir. What's the play?"

Booth told them, "I go in first, straight for the kid. You guys do what you do."

The member nodded his head, "Alright."

Brennan came up to them and asked, "What about me?"

Booth shook his head and brought her away from the group, "Wait outside."

Brennan shook her own head, "But I don't wanna miss anything."

Booth gripped her arms and pleaded, "Bones these guys aren't like anyone you've ever come up against. Please, just be someone you aren't for the next ten minutes and hang back. Please."

She nodded and watched as Booth and the SWAT team start for the building. Booth motioned with his hands, giving directions. They raided the building and shots were fired. Booth found the kid and rushed to him. Donovan was crying and covering his face. Booth approached him but he backed away frightened. Booth told him, "Donovan, don't look at him anymore. Okay? It's okay."

Donovan started to swat at Booth's hands, "N-no!"

Booth tried to block the view of the dead men and told Donovan, "Don't look at him anymore. Don't do that."

Donovan kept shaking his head, "Just get away!"

Booth tried to calm him down, "He's not gonna hurt you anymore."

Donovan moved farther away from Booth, "No go away!"

Booth dropped his voice and said soothingly, "Okay. Donovan paladin. Okay? Paladin, paladin, okay, paladin. Come on." He reached for Donovan again, he goes with him. "Come on."

Booth exited with the boy in his arms and Brennan ran up to them. Booth mumbled, "Alright. Okay. You good? You all right?"

~BONES~

Weeks and Booth come face to face as Weeks says, "Well done."

Booth glared at him and said coldly, "Yeah, I hope your really good at your job, Weeks."

Weeks looked at him confused, "Why is that?"

Booth's glare intensified as he said, "Because, otherwise you've got nothing going for you."

Booth walked off as Brennan approached, speaking to Weeks, "He's a father himself."

Weeks laughed awkwardly, "Thank God I always had the sense not to let that happen to me."

Brennan looked at him a moment, seeing just how cold Weeks was and walked off catching up with Booth. "You think K.B.C. hired the mercenaries?"

Booth shook his head, "We'll let the grand jury figure that out. We did our job."

Brennan said happily, looping her arm with Booth's, "It's not often I get to help save someone before they die."

Booth looked down at her a smiled, "Bones, every time you catch a murdered, you save his next victim."

Brennan shrugged, "This is different somehow."

Booth nodded his head. "Yeah." HE couldn't help but ask, "Still glad you don't have any kids?"

Brennan stopped and looked at him, "Yeah. Why?"

Booth smiled his charming one and said, "Looking at that boy and his dad. I just thought you'd change your mind."

Brennan shook her head. "No. Still glad you do have a kid?"

Booth smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Gladder today than yesterday."

Brennan shook her head, "That doesn't make any sense and yet I sorta get it. Sort of."

Booth chuckled, "Yeah, it's complicated. But you'll get it someday."

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 **You see that white button at the bottom of the page that says 'Review' please press that because it will give me life.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own BONES but a girl can dream**

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 **Chapter 12 – The Superhero in the Alley**

Cullen stopped at the crime scene tape and seriously told Booth, "Booth, I want this closed. I don't want to pick up next Sunday's Post and read 'Church kids find mystery corpse dressed for Halloween, F.B.I. remains clueless'."

Booth replied immediately, "I guarantee you won't read that, sir. Okay? I'm on it." Booth then saw Brennan and Zach arrive with their gear. "Bones."

Brennan walked under the crime scene tape that Booth held up for her. "Got here as soon as I could."

Booth nodded his head and placed his hand on the small of her back as they started to walk toward the crime scene, "Yeah. Thanks for coming. I pull you from anything important?"

Brennan told him honestly, "A 9,600 year old Caucasoid female skeleton was found in the Kunlun Moutains in China last month. An international investigation is under way. I'm contributing stress marker analysis."

Booth guided her into an alley and said, "I think you're gonna find this, uh, very interesting too."

As Brennan approached the skeleton, she sees that it seemed to be wearing some kind of armor outfit. She heard Booth say 'Oh' at the sight. She knew he still didn't like it to see these bodies, it bringing bac bad memories of his time as a sniper. She had to ask though, "What the hell is he wearing? It's lightweight. Composite."

Booth supplied her with his idea, "I think it was some kind of sexual bondage suit. And there's that bag. It's full of maggots."

Brennan nodded her head at his observation, "Looks like cellulose in there, degraded from bodily tissues and decomposing fat. "

Booth had to add, a little disgustedly, "And maggots."

Zach was taking pictures as he said, "Tibial plateau fractures and ground disturbance suggest total body impact."

Booth tried to follow his squint talk, "Okay. So did he jump, or was he pushed, Bones?"

Brennan sighed, "That's what we have to figure out. We can take the skeleton in. Give you a report, maybe after next week."

Booth tried to reason with Brennan, "No you don't have to solve the whole case. Just tell me if I'm looking at a murder. Maybe, you know, pull a quick I.D.?" He then used his charm smile on her.

Brennan chuckled and shook her head, "Don't use your charm smile on me."

Booth faked innocent, "What? It's a mark of respect. That's all."

~BONES~

Brennan let out her breath as she said, "I don't like to judge an entire subculture, but those people gave me the creeps."

Booth patted her thigh softly as he told her, "That's because they are creepy. What I mean is those kids at the store weren't your good old harmless 'tutor you in math' geeks. They were the, uh, you know, 'set the school on fire' geeks. Dark nerds. Columbine nerds."

Brennan looked at Booth a little surprised, "Columbine? You think Yasutani the Terrible's actually capable of murders?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I think, you know, they get high, you know, they play these games, they lose their grip in reality. And, you know, they start to believe they are these characters."

Brennan started to nod her head slowly, "You mean like Warren out fighting crime."

Booth started to form a picture in his head, "You know, hey, maybe Warren and that guy, uh, the leader, "Yasuhama'"

Brennan corrected him, "Yasutani the Terrible."

Booth waved his hand in acknowledgement, "Yeah. Yasutani the Terrible. Maybe- Maybe him and that guy, you know, they got into this, uh, you know, magic fight, and uh, it became real."

Brennan looked at him skeptically, "So you're saying it wasn't Warren who was murdered. It was his character, Citizen 14."

Booth nodded his head, "They're so delusional they don't even know that they've committed a crime."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders, going with Booth's gut this time. "I'll get Hodgins to see if there's any signs of drug use in Warren's hair."

~BONES~

Booth was wearing his bowling outfit. He and Brennan were looking at the lanes when Booth said while inhaling, "You smell that?"

Brennan sniffed slightly and said, "Yes, I do."

Booth smiled down at her and asked, "You know what that is, Bones?"

Brennan sniffed one more time and said slightly disgusted, "Wax, popcorn. Feet, deodorant."

Booth swung his arm so it was wrapped around her shoulder and said, "That is America, Bones."

Brennan looked down at his bowling ball bag, "You had your bowling ball in the car?

Booth looked down as well and said with a small smile, "Oh, you know, I figure we ask a few questions about Warren Granger, maybe bowl a few frames... You know, nothing like a little sport to, uh, take the edge off. Like a date."

Brennan laughed softly and said jokingly, "This is not a sport."

Booth snorted and asked playfully, "How do you figure?"

Brennan wrapped her arm around his waist and molded herself to him, "There's no physical benefit. So it's really like golf. It's not a sport, it's an activity."

Booth squeezed her hip and said huskily, "No physical benefit, huh." He then nibbled on her earlobe as they started to walk away from the lanes.

Brennan said a little breathlessly as she bit back a moan, "Yeah. Sorry. You are good at this... sport."

Booth chuckled deeply as he bragged, "Well, my average was over 200, less than 2 opens per game. One match I had 211 strikes out of 431 shots. 29 opens in 39 games."

Brennan snuggled a little bit closer and asked suggestively, "What does that mean?"

Booth dipped his head and captured her lips with his and then said biting back a groan, "Means I won some bowling awards."

Brennan kissed him again and told him playfully, "I won the Marshall H. Dixon Award for my paper on George John Romanes and physiological selection."

Booth hugged her closer and whispered teasingly, "My God, it's like we lead parallel lives."

~BONES~

Brennan was prepping the bone fragment as she exhaled on it while Booth came into the room, whistling. He stopped and asked, "What are you doing?"

Brennan looked up at him and said, "Breathing on the sample dissipates static electricity and makes it easier to cut."

Booth came up to her and sat down. "You seem nervous."

Brennan breathed on it one more time, "If I get this right I'll be able to tell you the age, sex and race of Warren Granger's killer."

Booth nodded, ever amazed at what his wife could do. He spoke quietly, "Stew was the artist."

She looked at him a little surprised, "Really? You think he killed Warren over artistic differences?"

Booth nodded and told her, "He also had a thing for Abby"

Now that was a shock, "Wow."

Booth leaned in slightly and spoke even softer, "Yeah. For a recluse, Warren Granger- He had his thumb in a lot of pies."

Brennan looked at him and brought something up that he said before, "You said before that Warren reminded you of me. You think I'm just like him, that he hid from life by immersing himself in a fantasy world where he fought crime. And I do the same thing, only I don't have superpowers. I... I have science."

Booth grabbed her hand and told him, "No, Bones. You do fight crime. It's not a fantasy. As far as any normal person is concerned, you do have superpowers."

Brennan looked back down at the bone when she said, "You're just saying that to me."

Booth lifted her chin with his finger and looked her in her eyes, "No, I don't do that. You know that."

Brennan pointed out, "Yes, you do. You lied to Warren Granger's mother to make her feel better. That seems to be your superpower."

Booth shook his head, "Look. This piece of bone you're analyzing. How did he get lodged in Warren Granger's neck?"

Brennan explained, "It was deposited by the same weapon that severed his spinal cord."

Booth pointed out, "Doesn't make it the killer's bone."

Brennan looked at him seeing what he is saying, "Are you thinking a, a separate murder victim?"

Booth nodded his head, "Opalescense. Uh, the woman he loved."

She smiled slightly, "I don't think she's dead."

Booth looked at her confused, "Why"

Brennan smiled fully now, "This is an arm bone. Has anyone we've seen on this case been favoring her arm?"

Booth shook his head, "Not that I've noticed."

Brennan leaned into and laughed softly, "That's because you're not an anthropologist... with superpowers."

Booth kissed the top of her head, "Ha. That's good." He then chuckled.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan crept into Capital Bowl. Booth whispered, "Domestic disturbances are always weird, okay? The woman gets beat on by her husband. The cavalry turns up to save her. You know, you'd think she'd be on the same side as the rescuers, but, sometimes…"

Brennan held onto his arm to lean in and whispered back, "You're saying watch out for the wife."

They both heard the sound of a door opening. Booth whispered back urgently to her, "All I'm saying is just stay alert. Okay, Bones?"

Brennan nodded her head. "Okay."

They heard voices in the other room. Lucy told her husband, "Ted, why are we doing this?"

Ted yelled back, "Shut up."

Lucy tried to reason with him, "You didn't do anything."

Ted snapped, "Lucy, I swear to God. If you don't shut up…"

Lucy shook her head, "No. I know you wouldn't hurt Warren."

Booth walked in slowly and said calmly, "Of course he would. You see, that's what he does." Lucy and Ted turned around as Booth and Brennan entered the room. "He likes to beat up people weaker than him."

Ted said through clenched teeth, "We are closed."

Brennan rationalized, "Well, you left your door unlocked. Probably an oversight due to your state of panic."

Booth tried to stand halfway in front of Brennan to shield her if anything were to happen, "Yeah. The lights were on. You see, we suspected a robbery. Say, you have a bevel knife?"

Lucy looked at them confused, "A what?"

Brennan explained, "It's a triangular three-sided knife."

Booth expounded n it, "You know, to clean out bowling ball holes. Say I used to have one back in the day, you wouldn't happen to have one around here, would you?"

Ted told them angrily, "You need a warrant. You need a warrant to take any of my stuff."

Brennan focused on Lucy and moved toward the counter, "Lucy, we need a bevel knife."

Lucy looked at Ted and started to move toward the counter, "We keep one in here."

Ted yelled, "Shut up, Lucy!"

Booth wanted to strangle that man, "Why don't you smack her around a little bit there, Ted uh? Keep your woman in line."

Lucy placed a toolbox on the counter. Brennan found the bevel knife and examined it more closely. "Yeah. This could've done it."

Booth smirked at Ted, "Say, Bones. That, uh, bone chip. Uh, second victim or murderer?"

She smiled at him and looked at Ted as well, "Well, for Warren's sake, I hope it was the murderer."

Booth nodded, "Me too."

Ted looked at them confused and angrily, "What are you talking about? Just get out of here."

Brennan walked closer and told Booth, "It would be his left arm."

Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing, "What?"

Brennan explained, "Well, Warren was right-handed, so the wound would be on your husband's left arm."

Lucy brought her hand to her mouth and gasped, "Oh my God."

Booth didn't like that she was walking toward Ted, "Bones."

Brennan approached Ted and hit his upper left arm with her elbow, Ted groaned as Lucy yelled, "No!" Ted kept on groaning as a blood stain appeared on his shirt where Brennan hit him.

Brennan pointed at the stain, "Right there."

Ted made an attempt at hitting Brennan, which she blocked right away. She seized his arm and threw him over the pool table nearby. Ted groaned some more. Booth came rushing over and took hold of him, rather roughly. "I got him. I got him. I got him. All right. Aw, hell, Bones. Looks like you opened up an old wound there. All right let's go. You know what? You're under arrest. I really hate a wife beater. I really do. Almost as much as I hate someone who kills a dying kid."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were at home after the funeral lounging on their couch. Booth whispered in Brennan's ear, "I could never hurt you, you know that right?"

Brennan snuggled deeper into his side and breathed his scent in. "I know that Booth. I know." And she knew that he meant that in every sense of the word. He would never abandon her like her parents and brother. He was there for her, forever.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry for it being so short but the next one is a lot longer I promise! Review**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 – The Woman in the Garden**

Booth and Brennan arrived in their SUV to the crime scene. They got out and started to walk toward it when Brennan asked, "Why'd they call in the FBI to Little Salvador?"

Booth slammed his door shut as he told her, "Well, the car's got Virginia plates, crossed the state line. Then there's a suspected gang member. Then there's RICO to deal with. What, Bones, do you really wanna know?"

She looked at him and smiled, "No, I was just using it as an excuse to make conversation and reestablish our connection."

Booth looked at her puzzled, "What?"

Brennan came up to him and told him, "I read a book about improving work relationships. It's not fair to expect you to tell me everything."

Booth squeezed her hand and smiled. "I appreciate the effort Bones. But I know you. Plus we've already got a great connection!"

Brennan smiled, "That is true." She then looked around at the scene and noted, "It's like they recreated their country here, right down to being terrified of the police."

Booth sighed and agreed with her, "A lot of these people, they're undocumented. They get nervous around law enforcement." He flashed his badge to one of the officers and asked him, "What do we got?"

The police officer told him, "He ran the stop sign. I pulled him over, he tried to run."

Booth stepped up behind the suspect and patted him on his back as he caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the man's neck. He pulled the collar down and let out a low whistle, saying, "Oh, look at this, huh? A Mara Muerte tattoo. It's one of the most feared gangs in the area. No wonder he was chauffeuring a dead body around, huh? Couldn't just join the Boys Club, pal?"

Brennan looked at the policeman confused and asked him, "And I'm here because..."

The officer led her to the trunk of the car as he explained, "Routine inspection of the vehicle...I found this."

Brennan started to put on gloves while Booth looked over the officer's shoulder at the body, "Oh."

Brennan observed the body and started to let them know what she saw, "Vertical brow ridge suggests female. Recently dug up, looks like." She stood up straight and pointed to the suspect and started to walk toward him while asking, "Could you hold his hands up, please?" Booth grabbed his hand and looked them over. Brennan told him, "We should analyze the dirt on his hands and compare it to the dirt on the shovel and the remains."

Booth spoke to the suspect, "Where was she buried?" But the man just ignored him.

Brennan asked him in Spanish, "Where was she buried? Why did you dig her up?" But the suspect continued to ignore them.

Booth let go of the man in aggravation, "Great, how he's ignoring us in two languages."

Brennan asked the officer, "Where's the nearest cemetery?"

He thought about it and told them, "The closest one I know about is Holy Rood, but that's a good ten miles from here."

Brennan looked around and thought of something. She asked the crowd in Spanish, "Excuse me ... Can you help us? We're wondering if there's a cemetery nearby?" However the crowd looked put off and walked away, not willing to help them.

Booth whispered in her ear, "Maybe your Spanish is a little rusty?"

Brennan shook her head, "They come from a place where getting involved gets you killed." All of a sudden gun shots went off as a black car rolled by shooting at them. Everyone ducked for cover. Booth made sure he covered Brennan's back as they both ran for cover behind the car.

They heard an officer yell to everyone, "Get down! Get down! Shots fired! Shots fired!"

Booth waited for the shooting to stop and then he whispered in Brennan's ear, "Are you okay? Bones, are you okay?"

Brennan nodded her head, "I'm fine Booth. Go!" He nodded his head and rolled off of her. He took off chase after the suspect. They were running down an alley when Booth yelled, "Hey!" However the suspect started to climb over the fence. Booth yelled again, "Don't make me shoot you!" He then tried to grab the suspect's foot to stop him from getting over the fence, but the shoe came loose and fell off. The suspect got over the fence and ran away. Brennan arrived in the ally as Booth turned around, upset that the suspect got away.

~BONES~

On the platform of the lab where the bones were laid out, Brennan continued to examine them as Booth walked up onto the platform. "'Kay, I have it on good authority that the guys who shot at our killer were doing it so he'd have a chance to escape."

Brennan was holding the fourth rib when she looked up at Booth and told him the news, "The victim was pregnant when she was hit over the head."

Booth leaned onto the table and sighed, "Pregnant?"

Brennan nodded her head, "Yeah, five weeks along." She then saw where his hands were and told him, "Get your hands off there." Booth remembered at how she didn't like her remains contaminated and brought his hands up.

Hodgins told them from a workstation adjacent to the platform, "I ran samples from the body, shovels and burlap through the gas chromatograph and it all came back full of organic compounds. Plant detritus, root remnants, fertilizer."

Booth nodded, "Sounds like stuff you'd find in a cemetery."

Hodgins added, "Well, I also found this. Fernaldia pandurata, otherwise known as loroco buds."

Brennan saw Booth's look of confusion and explained, "Loroco is an edible flowering plant, it's native to El Salvador. It's grown in vegetable gardens, not cemeteries."

Booth nodded as he said, "She was buried in a vegetable garden?" Brennan made a sound of agreement as Booth continued, "Ok, can you recognize this loco plant?"

Brennan corrected him, "Loroco. I've eaten it, but I wouldn't recognize the plant."

Hodgins told them, "It's quite distinctive. I'm also analyzing the dirt and particulates on the shoe you got off the suspect. At first glance it matches the vegetation we've already found but with a couple extras I'm still checking out."

Booth clapped his hands together and said to Hodgins, "Ok, Hodgins, suit up, you're coming with us. We're going to the barrio."

Hodgins said excitedly and hopefully, "Field work. Cool! Do I get a gun?"

Brennan was going to be pissed if Hodgins got a gun before she did from Booth. "You can't arm Hodgins and not me."

Booth couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everyone in that place needed to get their head shrinked. "What is with you people and the guns, huh?"

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were walking through the lad as Booth told Brennan, "Our gang unit's gonna bring in the leader of Mara Muerte, see if we can identify the gangbanger that got away."

Brennan asked him, "Why would a gang leader cooperate?"

Booth said sarcastically, "I'm gonna ask him very, very nicely, Bones."

Brennan stopped and looked at him. "You know that book I'm reading, about getting along with your coworkers? It says that sarcasm is never helpful. I could lend it to you if you want."

Booth was about to apologize – he was just a little wound up still from the shooting – when Hodgins came up to them. "I found Spodoptera, Ornithogalae and Tetranychus urticae on the suspect's show and on the victim. I also found Notonectidae and Corixidae. It's aquatic fauna typically only found in and around ponds and streams."

Brennan looked at the file he passed to her and said, "There are no ponds or streams at the burial site."

Hodgins smiled and said, "Yeah, and here's the kicker. There was also evidence of genetic material from a Franklinia alatamaha on his shoe."

Booth looked at him skeptically, "You're kidding. I'm in shock. Frankie Alabama, you don't say?"

Brennan leveled at him and gave him a stern look, "Did you hear what I said about sarcasm?"

Booth brought his hands up in surrender, while Hodgins said, "It's a rare flowering plant that hasn't been seen in the wild since 1800. The only known specimen in this area outside a specialized botanical garden was given to Senator Alan Corman as a gift. Oh, I love going after senators."

Booth looked down at the file and said, "Whoa, just simmer down there. We're gonna check out the botanical garden first."

Hodgins smile grew even more, "Fine. It's at the White House."

Brennan smiled as well and laughed. "Yeah!"

Booth watched as the two of them high-fived. "Ok, you guys should do that even less than normal people."

Hodgins started to back away slowly while he explained, "Make sure to keep your eyes open for backswimmers and water boatmen while you are there. Remember the Notonectidae can be different colours, you know, so..."

Booth interrupted him, "That's a nice try, ok? You're coming with us."

Hodgins smiled again and raised his hand while he yelled, "I call shotgun."

~BONES~

Hodgins slumped in the back seat of the SUV and said sullenly, "I called shotgun. What does it mean to a society when the niceties are no longer observed?"

Booth was not amused. He could take it when he was shot at, but when his wife was threatened. Now he was pissed. "Ok, look, we got two bodies, alright? One unaccounted for. We've been shot at, and now we know that there's a gang member walking around a US senator's place. Any theories?" Brennan and Hodgins both shook their heads. "Oh, come on guys. Let's think of it as a puzzle, and there's a missing piece."

Brennan smiled as she remembered the puzzle her and Parker finished that weekend. "I like puzzles, I find them relaxing. I just finished The Anatomy Lesson, Rembrandt."

Booth looked at her amused. So that was what those two did when he was called into work that day. "You're kidding, right?"

Brennan shook her head and smiled even more. "No." Then she looked at him through her eyelashes, "What do you find relaxing?"

Booth could feel the stirring of arousal at his wife's words and adjust himself quickly while he answered, "I restore vintage cars."

Hodgins slung an arm across the seat and said, "I know what I find relaxing."

Booth couldn't believe that Hodgins actually just said that out loud. "Everybody finds what you find relaxing, relaxing."

Hodgins ignored that and said, "Senator Corman is a big supporter of business leaders in Central America. That means supporting repressive regimes that use death squads to silence any opposition from the working people which are the same people who flee to the States."

Booth was pleased to see that they were getting back on track. "Ok, that's great. That's good. Let's focus. That's good, cause now we have a link between Corman and the Salvadorans."

Brennan was now confused, "Wait, now you think the senator murdered two people?"

Booth explained, "I just think we got another piece of the puzzle, that's all."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan entered the empty apartment and looked around. Booth told the landlord that opened the door for them,"Thanks." He then called out, "FBI, make your presence known." He searched through the house to make sure there were no threats to them.

Brennan was looking at photos on a table. She held it up for Booth to look at. "Look, he has a family, a baby." She then called out first in English then Spanish, "Is anybody here? You don't have to be afraid."

Booth turned toward and said, "Of course they're gonna be afraid Bones, I have a gun."

She looked at another photo of an older couple in front of a church. "Milagro de la Paz, that's where the victims are from."

Booth held a bottle of milk left on top of the TV and felt the temperature, "They had to have been here a few minutes ago, the bottle's still warm."

Brennan thought back to the multiple times she's been to El Salvador. "They're still here."

Booth asked, "How do you know?"

She looked around while she explained, "They're prepared for this kind of thing. Hiding from death squads, people learn to build false walls."

Booth immediately knew where to look. "Closet." He then saw Brennan walking in there and his heart started to race. He hated it when she was in danger. "Ok, hold on Bones. Let's just pretend that I'm the cop for a second, ok? Just..." He walked into the closest and knocked on the walls. Booth found a latch and opened a trap door, pulling out his gun. Inside hiding was a woman clutching her baby, trying to prevent him from crying.

The woman and baby were sitting on the bed, being interrogated by Booth and Brennan. She kept telling them that she didn't know anything.

Brennan talked to her in Spanish and after she was done Booth asked her, "What did you say?"

Brennan translated, "That we just wanna talk to Jose. That they'll all be safe, and they have nothing to worry about."

Booth was done with this being nice guy persona. He approached the woman, in a more direct voice and asked, "Do you wanna be deported? Do you wanna see your baby again? Because if he was born here, he doesn't have to go back with you. We can keep him."

Brennan couldn't believe that he was acting like that. "Booth, stop. She's frightened enough."

Booth turned to her and said, "Bones, we have a double murder on our hands. You were shot at."

Brennan tried to reason with him, "But she didn't do it."

Booth knew what she was saying was right, but his emotions got the better of him. "Just tell her what I said, ok? Tell her we're calling immigration. Tell her we'll get to Jose."

Brennan stood her ground. "No! She's lived with terror and intimidation her whole life. I'm not gonna add to it."

Booth said right back, "Alright, you know what, you're acting like I'm gonna hurt her or something. I was just trying to get a little information."

Brennan pleaded with Booth, "I am asking you as a favor not to make me do this...to scare her. Please?" Booth looked between Brennan and the woman and then back at Brennan. He saw the shine in her eyes and knew he wouldn't push anymore. It wasn't worth it.

~BONES~

Booth was in his office when Brennan entered. She knocked on his door, "Anything?"

Booth sighed, "Yeah. Immigration has the wife, she got a lawyer from the Salvadoran League or something or other. And she's not giving us anything about Jose."

Brennan looked at Booth as he sipped his coffee. He was tense, on edge. "You mad at me?"

Booth grabbed his stress ball and squeezed. "Nope. But you know, I could've gotten something back there if you hadn't gotten all mushy on me."

Brennan tried to explain, "I was uncomfortable with…You always say I'm not a cop. You're right, especially in a situation like that."

Booth looked at her with only love in his eyes, "Nah, it's ok. We're not gonna need her anyway."

Brennan could see that everything was fine between them and started to walk toward his desk, "Really? Why?"

Booth explained, "Because I had the gang unit put a lean on Roberto Ortez, he's the head of Mara Muerte."

Brennan was surprised, "The gang that Jose belongs to?"

Booth nodded, "Yeah, I convinced Ortez to bring Jose in for questioning."

She couldn't see the logic in that. "But why would he do that?"

Booth shrugged slightly, "Ortez's sister's in the can on possession charges. I promised him I could make that go away."

Brennan looked at him amused, "Can you?"

Booth shrugged again, "I don't know, it's a local beef, I'm federal. But, hey, you know...I'm a cop, and thank God for bad sisters, huh?" He smiled up at her and tossed the stress ball at her as she chuckled.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were interrogating Ortez when he said, "Jose's sister hated him."

Booth looked at him from across the table, "Hated him, why?"

Ortez looked at both of them and said, "She didn't approve of his associations."

Brennan already hated this man. "You mean associations like the leader of one of the most murderous street gangs in the country?"

Booth leaned forward and rest his elbows on his legs when he asked, "Look, if she hated Jose so much, why was he moving her body?"

Ortez explained, "Her burial site was threatened. He wanted to move her to a better place, and his father. Real family guy, you know?" He then focused in on Brennan, "I'm not the leader of the whole gang. Just the DC chapter." Brennan wasn't amused.

Booth's blood was boiling. "You shot at us so Jose could have a chance to get away?"

Ortez shrugged his shoulders. "The Mara Muerte takes care of its own, even a throwaway like Jose."

Brennan asked him coolly, "Can I ask you something?"

Ortez nodded his head, "Go ahead."

Brennan leaned forward and said angrily, "Jose's all beaten up, so he won't tell us anything. But you, you don't even ask for a lawyer, but you hardly stop talking."

Booth could see she was pissed. He knew why. But he still knew what could happen, so he said warningly, "Bones..."

Ortez said angrily, "I'm the boss, lady, ok? Jose's a sobrenado. That baboso is not as smart as me."

Brennan definitely hated this man. "You intimidate him into silence, but you can walk in here to the FBI, say whatever you want and walk away like you own the place?"

Ortez leaned back a little. "That's right."

Booth saw that this was escalating and tried to defuse the situation. "Look, all I need to know is who would have the guts to kill his sister?"

Ortez shrugged his shoulders, "Who cares, man?"

Booth stood up, getting fed up himself. This was going nowhere. "Come on Ortez, the sister of the Mara Muerte...it's the most feared gang in the city."

Ortez looked up at him and smirked, "She wasn't my sister, man."

Brennan talked to Booth, "It had to be somebody else in the gang, somebody more important than Jose."

Ortez leaned forward and said in a threatening tone, "You know what, lady? You think too much. Maybe you need a man like me to get your mind off of things. You know what I'm saying? I can be your adoring Salvadoran." He gave her a kiss gesture, which upset Brennan. She looked at Booth and silently told him to finish this because she was done. She got up and walked out of the room, leaving an even angrier Booth. Ortez looked at Booth with a smirk and told him, "Look, I don't know who killed Jose's sister. But I'll tell you what, because I like you so much, if I find out who did it, I'll kill him." He started to laugh as Booth clenched his teeth and fists, holding himself back from punching the shit out of him.

~BONES~

Brennan was waiting for the elevator as Ortez approached to wait too. He said to her, "You've been waiting for me? Push that button again, and we can go down together, junas."

Brennan wanted nothing else but to deck the guy but settled for, "You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?"

Ortez shrugged his shoulders slightly and said, "Ok, I'll push it myself."

He moved toward the button to push it, but Brennan turned around and stopped him. She looked him straight in the eye and said mockingly, "How do you handle someone who isn't afraid of you?"

Ortez was getting pissed now, "Just get out of my way." Booth approached from behind them, wanting to make sure Brennan was okay. Ortez said in a menacing voice, "I said move your ass, man." Ortez grabbed hold of Brennan's arm while Booth warned, "I wouldn't ...oh."

Brennan slammed her forearm into Ortez's nose while Booth didn't even try to step in between Ortez's beating but just said, "That's gonna hurt in the morning."

Ortez saw that his nose was bleeding and said, "Bitch." He then took a swing at Brennan, but she ducked. He tried to punch Brennan again, but she blocked them before kicking him and Ortez fell onto the ground. Booth approached her from behind as the elevator doors opened. She stepped over him and into the arriving elevator.

Booth looked up from the heap on the floor and asked amused, "Feel better?"

Brennan smiled and said, "Yeah. I really do."

~BONES~

Brennan was working at her desk when Angela came into her office. "You beat up a gang leader?"

Brennan looked back at her computer and smiled slightly at Booth's way to try to have someone keep an eye on her. "Booth told you that?"

Ange couldn't believe it. "You did." She had to sit down for that. "You got into a fight with a gangbanger."

Brennan could hear it in her voice, but didn't understand why. "You're mad at me?"

Angela couldn't believe that Brennan could be so naïve! "The guy's a killer, Brennan."

Brennan tried to calm her down. "Angela, relax. We were in the FBI building."

Angela tried to reason with her, "Look, I know you're all about self-reliance and fighting your own battles and standing up for yourself, but now, as your friend, and knowing how much you hate psychology here, you need therapy."

Brennan tried to explain, "I'm sorry I upset you. It's just that I've dealt with him before."

Angela tried to see it. "With who?"

Brennan expounded, "People who get what they want through fear. Gangbangers, members of death squads..."

Angela pointed out, "I know it's psychology again, but you said 'him', like one guy."

Brennan tried to think of a way to explain it, "I didn't mean Ortez specifically, I meant people like him." Brennan paused for a second. She didn't know how to tell Angela this without giving too much away. She then remembered that she had visited El Salvador when she met Angela. She decided to use that. "On my last trip to El Salvador..."

Angela smiled at that memory, "Yeah, I remember, I tried to get you to go to Italy with me."

Brennan was pleased Angela remembered. She didn't want to let her know that when this actually happened that was the first time she met Booth. "I was in a tent set up by one of the grave sites. I was working with the remains of a young girl, maybe 13. She'd been shot in the head and dumped into a well. This cop shows up and he might've been a solider...it's not easy to tell. I thought he was there to guard me, but he told me to stop. When I refused, he called in two others. They put a bag over my head and tossed me into a cell with a dirt floor and no windows."

Angela couldn't believe that she didn't know this already. "For how long?"

Brennan sighed, remembering exactly what happened… On that third day the same man came in and told her that today was the day she was going to die. She had tried to hold back her tears. She didn't want to die, she still had so much to accomplish. They gagged her, threw a bag over her head and picked her up from the ground, tying her hands together. They dragged her out of the building; most of her body strength was gone from the lack of food and water. She could hear birds chirping in the background and feel the sun hitting her skin. With just a few more steps the men dropped her on the ground, tying her feet together before they removed the bag from her head. The two men, one looking like an officer and the other a commander of some sort, yelled at her in Spanish to kneel. But she didn't make a move; if she was going to die she was not going to help them kill her. The officer kicked her in the stomach and grabbed her by her hair, bringing her to rest on her knees. The commander looking man then unholstered his gun and pointed it directly at her head. He then said in English, "You should have left when we told you to. This is your own doing."

Brennan blinked once, her tears betraying her by sliding down her cheeks. However even with her tears rolling down her cheeks, she didn't close her eyes. She was going to watch this man kill her, no matter how scared she was. She watched as the man put his finger on the trigger, but she didn't waver. She saw his finger start to move back the slightest bit and then she heard a gunshot and then one more. She felt blood splatter on her face, thinking it was her own, thinking that the two gunshots weren't fatal and she was going to bleed out instead. But then her brain registered that she felt no pain and that the two men in front of her were now lying on the ground, blood pouring freely from their heads. That's when she decided she could breakdown. She slumped back on herself and let out a strangled cry, tears rolling down openly.

She heard a rustle in the bushes to her left and thought the worst. She was still going to die, after this she was still going to be killed. She saw two men come running out of the bushes completely camouflaged to their surroundings. They were both holding guns and that was the only thing that registered to Brennan. She frantically started working at the rope binding her ankles together, while tears still streamed down from her eyes. She had about ten seconds before they got to her. She felt the rope loosen and pushed herself to her feet, completely running on adrenaline now. She started to run away, but felt big hands grasp her by her waist holding her back. But Brennan fought back, with all the strength and energy she had left. She kicked and squirmed against him. She reared her head back and hit him square in the face.

The man cursed loudly before holding her closely to him, completely stopping her from moving at all and said quickly, "We're American. We're here to save you Dr. Brennan."

Brennan cried even harder at the sound of being saved. She went completely limp in the stranger's strong arms and mumbled, "Thank you" before she passed out from exhaustion. She woke up being flown in a helicopter, completely disoriented. The last thing she saw before she passed out again was a handsome man – with a newly broken nose – yelling at her over the noise that she was going to be okay.

The next time she woke up was when she was in a medic building of some sort. She looked around to see many men and a few women recovering from some sort of injury or another. She started to scratch her arm only to find that she was connected to an IV. She sat up in her bed and started to get out when a nurse came rushing over to her. "Dr. Brennan, you shouldn't be moving. You need your rest."

Brennan looked at the nurse with her analytical eye and asked, "What happened? How did you find me?"

"I'm not sure about that Dr. Brennan, you'll have to ask with Master Sergeant Booth. But I do know that you were severely dehydrated, malnourished, and severely fatigued. You need to rest until we can send you back home to some family and even then you'll be restricted."

Brennan nodded, "I understand, but could I please just walk to Master Sergeant Booth to thank him personally."

The nurse gave Brennan a stern look, but caved a little at the look of sadness seen in the doctor's eyes. She sighed, "I suppose I can take you, but you will be in a wheelchair the whole time. No negotiation there sweetheart." Brennan nodded her head and gladly – and shakily – slid into the wheelchair that was brought to her.

The nurse pushed through the doors, shining the bright sunlight into Brennan's face. It felt so good. To be alive. Just the thought of the idea that she was suppose to be dead was terrifying, bringing fresh unshed tears to her eyes. The nurse drove her to another building, pushing through its set of doors. She stopped after a short while, just enough for Brennan to see that they were in some sort of workout room. The nurse patted her shoulder and whispered, "I'll be right back dear. I just need to find him. I know he's in here somewhere."

Brennan watched her weave through the machines and men working out, stopping at someone who was bench-pressing an impressive amount of weights. The man sat up and wiped some of the sweat off his forehead with his forearm. He stood up and followed the nurse to come back to her. Brennan now saw the full extent of the man that saved her. He was excellently proportional. Excellently. She suddenly became self conscious about her own appearance now. She thought to herself that she must look rather unpleasant after everything she went through.

Master Sergeant Booth came to stand right in front of her, smiling warmly. "I'm glad to see that you're doing a lot better Dr. Brennan."

Brennan nodded her head, trying to regain her self-confidence back. "Yes, so am I. Master Sergeant Booth…"

However he cut her off, "You can call me Booth, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan nodded her head again, "Okay, Booth I just wanted to thank you personally for saving my life. I would have surely been killed if it weren't for you."

Booth knelt down to come to eye level with her as he said, "Dr. Brennan, your very welcome. I'm glad that I could save you." Brennan worked her bottom lip trying to decide if she wanted her questions answered or not. Booth chuckled softly as he watched the uncertainty flash in her eyes, "Is there something else you would like to say Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan decided then that she needed to know. "How long was I taken? And how did you know where to locate me?" Booth looked down at his thighs, trying to find the easiest way to say this, when Brennan broke through his thoughts, "I would like it if you would be as straight forward as possible, please."

Booth looked up at her and saw that same conviction he saw in her eyes the first time he saw her. He nodded his head, "You were taken for three days. We've been trying to find a way to take out Commander Santiago for some time, but then we were notified that you might have been taken by him and his soldiers. We located his whereabouts to an abandoned house in an uninhabited town. My team and I got to your location just as he was bringing you out of the house."

Brennan had looked at him stoically throughout the whole explanation. "Why were you after him?" She was thankful her voice didn't betray her of her true feelings.

Booth looked at her, shocked at how strong this woman in front of him was, "The victims you were identifying were his causing. He ruled over the most dangerous gang in El Salvador, without him the gang becomes broken. We were able to stop many more killings with him gone."

Brennan nodded her head, satisfied with the answers she got. She extended her hand, "Thank you Booth. You've given me all the information I need."

Booth took her hand and shook it gently. He stood up slowly and smiled as he said, "Why don't I come by later on today."

Brennan looked at him confused, "Why would you do that?"

Booth chuckled, "You don't know many people here Dr. Brennan. I thought a friendly face might make the time go by faster. I'll bring some cards so we can play a little poker."

Brennan titled her head slightly, trying to decipher why Booth would want to spend time with her. She couldn't see any malice or pity in his face so she nodded her head slowly, "Okay, if you want to."

Booth's face broke out in a wide smile as he said, "I want to. I'll see you later Dr. Brennan."

Booth thanked the nurse for bring Brennan to see him, told her that he was fine and had gotten his rest, and then waved goodbye heading back to his workout station. The nurse had already turned Brennan's wheelchair around when something registered in her brain. She turned her head around and yelled out, "Oh, and Booth!" At the sight of Booth turning around to look at her she said, "I'm sorry for breaking your nose." The last thing she saw was Booth throwing his head back laughing. For the first time, in a long time, a genuine smiled came across Brennan's face.

Brennan looked up at Angela and told her half the truth, "Later I found out it was three days. But, I thought it was a week, maybe more. He came in every day and made me believe I was going to die. He said that he'd shoot me and toss me into a well and that no one would ever know who I was or what became of me. I promised myself if I ever had the chance, I'd get even." Angela nodded her head in understanding as Brennan continued, "That doesn't mean I need therapy."

Brennan was relieved to have Hodgins walk in with new information. This case was getting to her more than she thought it would.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were walking through the FBI hallway towards the elevators while Brennan asked, "What about the father?"

Booth didn't buy that angle. "A powerful man with a lot to lose. But, I mean, why kill her? Why not have her deported in the middle of the night?"

Brennan stated, "That leaves Hector."

Booth did agree with that one though, "He's responsible for hiring the servants. I mean, one of 'em gets pregnant, he feels like it's his mess to clean up."

Brennan pushed the button for the elevator when she said, "We still can't figure out how Maria's skull was fractured by the bedpost."

Booth faced Brennan as he smiled at her. "Well, that's sort of your line of work, Bones, ok? So go have fun." She smiled back and started to walk in the elevator when Booth swatted her butt affectionately. She looked back at him and laughed as the doors closed.

~BONES~

Another Agent approached Booth in the FBI hallway and called out, "Booth?"

Booth turned around, "Yeah?"

The Agent came up to him and told him, "Message from the Gang Task Force Unit." He looked down at the piece of paper and said, "Mara Muerte has put a hit out on your lady scientist."

Booth looked down at the paper and said, "Oh, man."

The Agent asked, "You got a response?"

Booth looked at him dazed, "Yeah, just tell 'em...tell 'em I got the message and tell 'em thanks."

The Agent nodded his head, "Sure." Booth paced the floor a few times and then sat down on a bench, looking troubled – remembering something of a similar situation with Brennan. It had been the first time he'd seen her. Booth had just been dropped off with his team. He directed two to hang back while he and Corporal Douglas went to take the target out. They ran quietly, but efficiently threw the brushes and came up to their location. Booth immediately saw Santiago and his first in command, Vargas, leading what would probably be Dr. Brennan out of the house. Booth motioned to Douglas to spot for him and to be quiet. He saw Douglas nod as he started to set up, aiming at his target. He waited for Douglas to give him his readings as he watched in horror as Vargas threw the woman down to the ground, bound her feet, and took the bag off her head. She was one of the, if not the, most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It was Dr. Brennan and her picture didn't do her justice. He wondered what was taking Douglas so long as he watched Vargas kick the doctor, pulled her by her hair to kneel in front of them. Booth cursed softly as he watched Santiago unholster his gun. He watched as tears rolled down the doctor's cheeks but she didn't close her eyes like most people would. She just watched Santiago with fire in her eyes. He whisper yelled, "Douglas, I need those readings!" And that's when he remembered that this was only the kid's second time out in the field. Damn.

Booth made a speed decision. He closed his eyes and felt for the wind direction. His eyes snapped open as he tuned everything out. He aimed and fired. One shot then another. Taking both men out within milliseconds. He immediately got up and started to run to Dr. Brennan. He watched her as she slumped against her legs and broke down. He heard Douglas trip over a fallen branch as he was about 200 yards from the doctor. He broke through the brush with Douglas now running again right behind him. Booth watched as the doctor looked at them with fear and then as she started to untie her legs. He was amazed to see her jump up, with her hands still tied behind her back, and start to run away from them. But he had strength and speed on her, as he quickly approached her. He grabbed her by her arms, halting her. He was about to tell her that she was safe, when she did the unexpected. She fought back. She kicked him in his shins, struggled against his grasp and threw her head back, hitting him directly in the nose. He cursed silently and then wrapped his arms around her midsection, completely immobilizing her. He told her in her ear, "We're American. We're here to save you Dr. Brennan."

Booth felt her whole body start to shake as she cried and went limp in his arms. He heard her whisper, "Thank you", before she completely passed out. Booth positioned her so that he could carry her the rest of the way back, bridal style. He turned to see Douglas watching with wide eyes. "Douglas, come on. She needs medical help now. Let's move." And then he was off running to rendezvous with his team so a helicopter could take them back to safety. Everything else had been a haze for Booth. All he paid attention to was the feel of her heartbeat against his chest as he ran through the forest. He couldn't have another life on his head. She had to live. Each time his foot hit the ground, he felt himself willing her to live by giving her his energy, his strength.

~BONES~

Brennan and Angela are standing with everyone at the funeral. While the priest was speaking in Spanish, Angela told Brennan, "This is nice of you, not many people would pay for a funeral like this."

Brennan was looking around the cemetery. "Where's Booth? He said he'd come."

~BONES~

Ortez was walking down a street as Booth was watching him from his car. Ortez turned into an alley and Booth followed him as he got out of his car. Booth came up to him from behind and pushed him into an empty doorway.

Ortez yelled at him, "Are you crazy? This is my neighborhood."

Booth got into his face, "You put a hit out on my partner?"

Ortez shot back, "She's not FBI."

Booth elbowed him in the face and grabbed him by the throat as he pointed his gun right at his throat. "I never said anything about FBI. She's my wife, ese. And if anything happens to her, I will find you and I will kill you. I won't think twice. Come here, look in my eyes." He pushed the barrel of his gun into his mouth and cocked it. "Look at my face. If anything happens to her, I will kill you. This is between you and me, and nobody sees, nobody knows. You got nothing to prove, understand?" When Ortez didn't answered, he yelled, "You understand?"

Ortez grunted out, "Yeah."

Booth nodded his head as he glared at him. "Yeah, I thought so. Ok, now if you don't mind, I'll leave first because I have somewhere I have to be." He pulled his gun back and turned to leave, but before he did, he turned back to Ortez and aimed his gun right on his forehead, giving one final look before leaving. He wanted to pull that trigger, but he knew he shouldn't.

~BONES~

Booth ran up to Brennan and Angela as everyone left the funeral. They both turned and looked at him as Booth asked Brennan as she turned away from him, "Am I in trouble?"

Angela smirked at him and said, "You're late for a funeral, of course you're in trouble."

Booth tried to stay back since Angela was still standing with them. "Sorry." Brennan gave him a dirty look, so he continued, "I apologize, I...everything ok here?"

Brennan needed to know. "Where were you?"

Booth smiled softly at her, "I had something to do."

Brennan was skeptical. "More important than a funeral?"

Booth smiled slightly at how angry Brennan was. "I thought so at the time."

~BONES~

Brennan walked out of their closest in only her bra and dress pants and asked him again, "Where were you really Booth?"

He turned around from where he was taking off his gun holster in front of their dresser and answered, "I was taking care of some unfinished business."

Brennan started to take off her necklace and walked toward him while she asked, "What type of business?"

Booth looked at her put her necklace away and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

Brennan looked at his reflection in the mirror on top of the dresser and said, "Yes, I really do Booth."

Booth came up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she leaned against him. He whispered in her ear, "Ortez put a hit out on you. I just made sure he knew he was messing with the wrong people."

Brennan looked at him in shock. "He put a hit out on me, why?"

Booth turned her around and spoke softly, "You beat him up. Gangbangers don't like that. But I took care of it babe. He knows not to even think about you now."

Brennan wrapped her arms around his neck and asked, "What did you do?"

Booth leaned down and kissed her softly, "I told him not to mess with my wife because I would kill him."

Brennan deepened the kiss slightly and then she stopped to say, "Oh, Booth. You always seem be saving me from Salvadorians."

Booth leaned his forehead against hers as he said, "I will always protect you Temperance. I will kill for you, I will die for you. I love you."

Brennan caressed the back of his neck and saw all the love in his eyes. She whispered to him, needing the comfort as much as he did, "Show me Seeley."

He kissed her softly as he unbuttoned her pants and let them fall to the floor. She had already started to unbutton his shirt and slid it down his arms as he undid his belt and pushed down his own pants. After those barriers were gone Brennan wrapped her long leg around his waist as he carried her to their bed. They made love that night. Love showing just how much they needed each other, how much they loved and cared for each other.

A/N: So what did you guys think? Was it good? Do you want more of how they met? Well, to tell me you know what to do. Leave a review


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – The Man on the Fairway**

Brennan was holding up a bone fragment and looked at Booth after her explanation to him, "You got it or do you want me to explain again?"

Booth was a little aggravated that Bones had called him in for that. He thought maybe that they could do lunch. They hadn't seen each other during work in a while and he missed that. "No, I got it okay. The plane goes down, Kablooey, there's an extra body on board which you really don't care about because you're more interested in these bone," he started to point at them which made Brennan swat at his hand to stop him from touching, "fragments that you found on the ground."

Brennan was pleased that he understood her explanation, "Exactly."

Booth looked down at the pieces. It wasn't much. "Hmmm. Is this all you got?"

Brennan knew that Booth couldn't do a lot with it, but she wasn't about to admit that. "So far, a piece of skull, a chunk of vertebrae, part of a femur."

Booth looked up with a slight smirk. He knew why she called him, she just didn't want to say it aloud. "Not much to go on."

Brennan had saved the best for last. "These fragments come from a person who was hacked."

Booth winced at that thought. God, that was gross. "Hacked to little bits."

Brennan's bubble got deflated a little bit as she had to admit, "No, medium sized bits. I'm not sure how it turned into little bits yet."

Booth tried to divert the conversation away from that gruesome image. "Okay and I'm here why?"

Brennan merely pointed out the obvious, "Dismemberment, little bits, it's a murder."

Booth leaned forward a little bit trying to hide his smile. "Well FBI doesn't have jurisdiction at a golf course."

Brennan was a little surprised by that. She thought she could work with Booth again. She asked in an almost petulant tone, "Well who does?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders and joked, "I don't know. Try the PGA." He turned his full-on Boothy smile on, knowing exactly why he was there. "Uh huh. You know you've done a couple of cases without me and you miss me."

Brennan narrowed her eyes and let out an aggravated breath. "Zach misses you not me."

Booth couldn't believe that lie. "Zach and I don't even talk."

Brennan kept up her argument though. "He seems to think it's a male bonding ritual."

Booth played right along with it. "Maybe he's right?"

Brennan couldn't believe that he was actually saying that. "No he's not!"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. He loved ruffling her feathers. "Could be?"

He could make her so mad sometimes. She just knew he did it on purpose. "You told him that so you wouldn't have to talk to him."

Booth pointed out, "Well it was nicer then shooting him."

Brennan let out a frustrated noise. Why did he have to do that? Make her express her feelings. She had made great progress over the past four years, but she still had some doubts, some lingering feelings. "Mmmm. Goodman has ordered me to investigate the other extra body."

Booth could sense her resistance. He hated to see what her past had done to her. She was never good at expressing her feelings when she thought they made her weak. He stepped up to her and whispered playfully, "Well then you better get on that. Next time you know, you miss me pick up the phone, call me, we'll do lunch or something."

Brennan slapped his arm. "I do not miss you!"

Booth looped his arm around her waist and leant down to whisper into her ear, "Yeah you miss me. C'mon."

Brennan pushed him away slightly. "I do not miss you, Seeley Joseph Booth!"

Booth turned her around so she was facing him and said playfully as he started to tickle her slightly, "Say it."

However a Security Guard surprised them, causing them both to jump a little. "Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth, you have a visitor."

Booth stepped back a little, hoping the guard wouldn't think anything of what he just saw. After he saw the guard walk away he whispered to Brennan again, "You miss me."

Brennan gave him a scathing look, not amused at all as to how inappropriate they were acting. "No I don't."

Booth put on his charm smile – trying to get out of the trouble he knew he was in. "You miss me. You miss me."

~BONES~

Jesse Kane was looking at a skull on top of the Brennan's desk when he saw them walking into her office. He stepped back and walked up to them offering her his hand, "Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Brennan shook his hand with an analytical eye and said, "Yes."

Jesse looked behind Brennan to Booth and said, "Special Agent Seeley Booth, I'm Jesse Kane."

Booth looked the man up and down, surprised. 'You're Jesse Kane?"

Jesse looked at Booth a little surprised, "You've heard of me?"

Brennan shook her head. "I haven't."

Booth looked at Bones and then back at Jesse, wondering why he was there to begin with. "Jesse here is sort of an expert in missing person's cases."

Jesse turned to the beautiful Dr. Brennan – much to Booth's dislike – and explained to her, "I've done some writing on missing person laws and investigative techniques, inner agency cooperation, jurisdictional dispute, that kind of thing. I heard about the bones you found at the golf course."

Brennan looked at him unfazed by everything he just said. "I can't really talk about that."

Jesse told her bluntly, "I don't mean the Communist Chinese on the plane."

Booth was on alert right away. No one was supposed to know about that information. So how the hell did he? "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Communist Chinese…"

Jesse ignored Agent Booth and looked directly at Brennan when he said, "The other bones, the fragments."

Booth really didn't care why he was there. He just wanted to know, "How did you hear about the Communist Chinese?"

Jesse ignored Booth again and spoke to Brennan, "Those pieces of bone you found at the golf course, I'm pretty sure that's my dad." Now that was not what they were expecting him to say.

~BONES~

Jesse, Booth, and Brennan were all sitting at a table in the middle of Wong Foo's while Jesse explained why he was there, "My expertise in missing person's investigations derives from one thing, my search for my father. He went missing five years ago during a trip to his cottage in Virginia Beach."

Brennan was looking at a newspaper clipping when Booth took it from her. He didn't like this guy. Something was off about him. Brennan asked Jesse in an irritated tone when Booth took it, "What makes you think these bone fragments come from your father?"

Booth didn't really care at the moment why this guy was there. He said as much, "Alright, you know there is a question of National security here that is my jurisdiction. He's not supposed to know about the Chinese."

Jesse was really starting to irk Booth even more for ignoring him each time and just talking to Brennan. "My investigations lead me to conclude that my father was murdered in the area and his body disposed."

Brennan never really one to care about anything but the truth when it came to murder, asked, "What did the police say?"

Jesse told her with some disgust in his voice, "They gave up four years ago."

Booth added in a small tidbit, "Because there was no evidence of foul play."

Jesse hated it when the 'authorities' said that. "The investigation was bungled. The city police didn't have the manpower, the state troopers said it was a federal matter, and you guys suggested a private investigator."

Booth told Brennan, "It was not bungled, okay, because there was no evidence of foul play. It's a common story, okay? A guy goes in for a pack of cigarettes and ends up renting out snorkeling gear in Guam."

Jesse turned back to Brennan and told her with great conviction, "He doesn't know what it's like to lose a parent you do."

Booth was pissed now. No one talked to his wife about her past like that. No one. "You want to back down a jot there buddy?"

Brennan looked at him coolly, trying to keep her face as blank as possible. "How do you know about that?"

Jesse knew that he could be pushing it but he needed this. "No offense, Dr. Brennan but you're a writer. You're a well know scientist, it's out there plus you're one of us."

Brennan didn't like how that sounded. "One of us?"

Jesse pressed, "People who's loved ones have simply vanished, in your case both parents."

Booth didn't need to hear anymore of this. Brennan had a hard enough time as it was talking about her past, but for someone to bring it up like it was nothing. "Okay, how do you know about the Chinese?" Jesse still ignored him, so Booth snapped his fingers in his face and put his hand in front of Bones face trying to stop Jesse. "Do not look at Dr. Brennan, okay? Whether you like it or not, this is an issue between you," Brennan moved his hand away and brought it down under the table squeezing it softly, "and the FBI." Booth squeezed it back, giving her his silent comfort.

Jesse looked at Booth, slightly annoyed at the man's presence. "If body parts are found in roughly the area where my father disappeared, I'm going to know about it. Radio chatter, the internet, the local law enforcement, that's all I'm prepared to tell you." He turned back to Brennan, "Do you mind if I ask you how many bone fragments you found?"

Brennan told him coolly, "Yes I do. I don't discuss ongoing investigations."

Booth mentally patted her on the back at her response. That's my girl! He shook the steak sauce as he smartly said back to Jesse, "She doesn't discuss ongoing investigations."

Jesse relented, for now, "Fair enough, Dr. Brennan. These are my notes from the last five years, every lead, every clue; every person I have ever talked with is here."

Booth was really starting to get worked up by this man. "And why would Dr. Brennan care about that?"

Jesse smirked slightly as he said, "'Cause it will least give her a candidate to eliminate."

Brennan had to give him props for that thought, "He's got a point." Booth knew that, but he still didn't have to like it.

Jesse continued to tell them what was in the box. "My father's medical records, pictures, last known whereabouts, even a connection to the golf course. Also my phone number but don't worry if I don't hear from you, you'll hear from me." Jesse looked at Booth as he said the last part and got up, leaving the restaurant.

Booth whistled softly, "Wow! Pushy."

Brennan leant forward on the table and told him matter of factly, "Well maybe he discovered that being pushy is how you get cops to pay attention."

Booth couldn't see why she was mad at him now! He was there for her, not Jesse Kane. "What are you hawking at me for?"

Brennan grabbed his hand, to show him just how much this meant to her. "The Chinese, the plane crash, that's geo politics. This is murder. Will you help me?"

Booth looked down at their hands. He smiled softly as he looked up at her, "Well you know I guess if you're uh, really asking me, I guess I could uh you know fudge it with my boss to make it look like it was attached to the Chinese plane crash thing." Brennan smiled brightly, leaned in and kissed Booth on the cheek.

"Thank you Booth."

~BONES~

The two of them were in Brennan's office where she handed a file to Jesse. He looked over it and said shocked, "This is all you have?"

Brennan nodded, "Yes, you were right about how little it is."

Jesse looked at her as he told her the truth, "No, I mean this is simply your copy of the official file."

Brennan looked at him confused. "Yes, what else would there be?"

Jesse couldn't believe that she didn't do her own digging. "You never tried to hire any private investigators, did any poking around by yourself?"

Brennan shook her head. "Well I'm pretty new at field work. I've mostly been a lab rat my whole career plus I trusted the authorities would do what they could."

Jesse exclaimed, "The authorities have rooms filled with files like these, warehouses."

Brennan didn't like where he was going with that. "I'm the authorities, Booth is the authorities."

Jesse looked back down at the file and asked, "Did you ever show this file to Booth?"

Brennan thought about telling the truth, but thought better of it and lied to him. "No, no." She had showed it to him. A while ago. He even asked her if she wanted him to look into it for her, but she wasn't ready back then. She had told him no. Brennan realized that Jesse had started to lean in to kiss her and she backed away from him. "This is where I work."

Angela walked in, interrupting Brennan from telling him she was with someone. "Uh which is my cue?"

Brennan walked around Jesse, relieved that Angela stopped her before she could say anything else. "Uh, um, Angela, come in. This is Jesse Kane." That had been a close call.

~BONES~

Brennan walked out onto the Jeffersonian parking lot as she saw Booth with something hooked to the back of his SUV. "What's that?"

Booth smiled widely as he told her, "It's the only Black Mantis wood chipper in Virginia Beach. I subpoenaed the records from the manufacturer and traced it back to the town equipment yard. Uh, my people they uh, couldn't find any blood residue."

Brennan nodded, "That makes sense if the corpse was frozen."

Booth tapped the chipper with his hand as he told her, "Yeah not to mention this puppy here has grinded up about ten thousand trees, you know. Hey I figured you could match the blades to the cuts in the bones, right or do something I haven't thought of much more confusing and scientific?"

Zach approached Booth and Brennan as he said, "Booth, nobody told me you were working this case."

Booth ignored Zach and continued to speak to Brennan, "Only two people have had access to this machine in the past seven years, a city maintenance foreman and a city maintenance worker by the name of Ray Sparks. Sparks has got a jacket so… What do you say, huh? You want to come with me to go talk to him?"

Zach smiled as Booth continued to ignore him and spoke to Brennan, "Told you. It's a guy thing."

Brennan looked at Zach and then to Booth, "Um, yes I'd like to come."

Booth clapped his hands together. Field work, awesome. "Alright, here we go." He jogged over to get her door open.

Brennan turned to Zach and told him, "Let Angela do the escort matching. I have something a lot more interesting for you and Hodgins."

Booth muttered behind her jokingly, "What's more interesting then escorts?"

Brennan chose to ignore that and continued, "I need you guys to run a dispersal pattern test on the chipper."

Zach nodded, "Using what medium?"

Brennan thought about it for a few seconds and said, "Assume the victim was frozen solid when he was fed into the chipper."

Zach couldn't believe his ears. "No way!"

Booth whispered to Brennan as she came to the door, "The correct response would be, yes way."

Brennan was surprised by that, but said, "Oh." She then turned to Zach and told him, "Yes way." She turned back to the car and got in with Booth's ever protective hand on the small of her back. He patted her leg right before he slammed the door shut – and ignored Zach's outstretched fist – and walked over to his side.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan walked up the front porch to the door of Spark's house. Brennan just didn't get it, "You ignore Zach to make him think that you've got some special bond."

Booth smiled as he adjusted the tie he just put on. "Yeah but it works doesn't it? I'm happy. He's happy."

Brennan shook her head. "It's not the truth Seeley."

Booth knocked on the door as he tried to explain to her, "But it works. Ray Sparks I would like to have a word with you please."

Brennan told him out-rightly, "Zach wants to fit into the real world more than anything. You're not helping."

Booth didn't want to have this conversation with Bones on a suspect's porch. He knocked again, "FBI, Special Agent Booth." They both heard a loud crash from inside as Booth tried to the door handle. "He went out around the back." Booth took off down the porch steps and headed left around the house. Brennan followed him and bumped into him at the corner. Booth stopped for a second and looked at her amused, "No, no, the other way, Bones!" He ran down the rest of the way to the backyard and drew his weapon as he saw Ray, "FBI! Freeze!"

Sparks turned and tried to run the other way. Brennan came out from her side of the house and grabbed him by the throat and shoved him backwards. Sparks fell on his back on the ground in front of her grunting. She put her foot on his throat to keep him down as Booth came jogging up to them muttering, "Bones…" He looked down to the guy on the ground, "Ray Sparks?"

Sparks yelled up at them, "Hey, I didn't do nothing wrong!"

Brennan smiled at Booth as she whispered to him, "I feel like kicking him."

Booth pulled out his handcuffs and whispered back to her, "That's normal after a pursuit, babe. We try not to do that." He picked up Ray from the ground and started to handcuff him, "Come on, up."

~BONES~

Brennan knocked on Jesse's motel room door then came further into the room, "I came for the file on my parents."

Jesse sighed and passed the file to her. "You think I might have killed my father."

Brennan shook her head. She felt wrong for giving the file to him; she knew who really could help her the most. "No, it's just…I asked the wrong person to help me and…"

Jesse looked at her trying to understand what her hesitation was. "What?"

Brennan told him honestly, "I just don't think it's healthy what you are doing, putting your whole life into this."

Jesse told her right back, "And I suppose what you're doing, putting nothing into solving the disappearance of your parents, I suppose that's healthy?"

Brennan looked down at the file. He didn't understand. She knew that, but it still hurt for him to say those things. She decided to change the topic, "We're searching the golf course for more bone fragments."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were driving in Booth's SUV when Booth told her, "The local Sheriff's say Jesse Kane showed up at Karen Anderson's house to confront her. He was ranting about the murder of his dad. Eddie tried to throw him out. The two of them they exchanged punches. The fact that Jesse confronted him doesn't mean that he isn't the killer."

Brennan knew that but she also knew something else. "I know."

Booth could see that she was still wasn't facing the facts. "Alright, you know what? He might have done this just to make us think that he was angry at her, alright? He's smart."

Brennan smiled internally as she asked, "No poking and prodding, do you think Jesse murdered his father?"

Booth tried to show her that he was just doing his job. "You know Bones, all I'm saying is we get into these things, we look into murders, and we can't let our heart strings get all plucked. Okay? We got to poke at people wounds, we got to make them bleed a little, we got to make them tell us things that they normally wouldn't want to tell us. Alright? We got to be willing to be hard on them is what I'm trying to say, even when we know that we're no different than them."

Brennan tried to hide her smile as she looked away, "You didn't answer my question."

Booth looked at her suspiciously, "Well I have an opinion. You want to know? If I had to bet, I'd say he didn't do it."

Brennan smiled fully now as she looked away again. She loved playing with him like that. "Me too."

Booth was shocked to hear that. "Whoa. I'm going off my gut. I mean what…what's persuading you?"

Brennan told him trying to hold in her laugh, "The bone fragments at the golf course, they didn't come from Max Kane."

Booth smiled at Bones as he saw what she was doing. "That's great. You knew that when you asked me what I thought. You testing out my instincts, babe?"

Brennan smiled directly at him now, "Poking and prodding. I learned from the best." She then pinched his cheek and Booth laughed.

"Very funny Bones, very funny. You'll pay for that, trust me."

Brennan chuckled at that and patted his thigh, "I'll look forward to it."

~BONES~

Booth was sitting at the bar at Wong Foo's with the squints in a booth behind him against the wall. Brennan came and went straight to Booth. He turned to look at her and asked, "How did Jesse take it?"

Brennan told him honestly, "Like an orphan." She then saw the way he was staring at her. "What?"

Booth chuckled softly as he told her, "That's just, that's a little poetic for you."

Brennan smiled and said, "I didn't mean it that way." They looked at each other for a few seconds before she cleared her throat and said it before she chickened out. "I want to ask you another favor."

Booth, thinking it had something to do with Jesse, said, "Oh geez, another favor."

Brennan slid a file across the counter to him and said softly, "I wonder if you wouldn't mind taking a look at this."

Booth put down his beer and looked down at it. He'd seen it before and knew what it was instantly. "The file on your parents?" Brennan nodded her head. He didn't even have to think about it. "Yeah okay."

Brennan was a little surprised that he answered so fast. "Do you want to think about it? It's a pretty big favor."

Booth laughed softly, "Bones, you know I'd do anything for you. Plus, you'd do it for me.

Brennan smiled at him and leaned in slightly to feel his body heat as she whispered, "Yeah I would."

Booth grabbed her hand and intertwined the fingers. "I'm proud you asked, Temperance."

Zach came up to the two of them and interrupted, "Ah, Dr. Brennan, Angela wants to know if we should order anything for you."

Brennan – never taking her eyes off of Booth's – answered, "No, I'm not staying. Thanks Zach."

Zach spoke to Booth, completely missing how their hands were, "Guess we caught another one, right? All for one and one for all."

Booth ignored Zach and slowly let go of her hand as he pointed to the file, "I'll take a look at this and see what they didn't give you and I'll get back to you. Okay?" Zach smiled and walked back to his table happy that they were back to normal.

Brennan smiled as she watched Zach leave, "You're back to ignoring Zach?"

Booth leaned in and told her, "Alright look, I know you don't approve but you know, it works for us; it worked for him so…"

Brennan smiled and laughed lightly as she pushed his shoulder with hers, "Yeah I get it and it, it's kind of sweet."

Booth tried to act nonchalant about it, shrugging. "Hey, you know, your people are my people."

Brennan was surprised to hear that. "What I have people?" She never thought of it like that before. She kind of liked it. "Hey, I have people." She smiled at him as she slid off the barstool and patted him and the shoulder. "I'll wait for you in the car."

Booth smiled and told her, "Sid should be bringing our stuff out soon. I'll only be a few minutes." Booth opened the file and looked at a picture of Brennan's parents and a picture of Brennan as a little girl. Staring at it a slow smile spreads across his face as he saw how happy she was.

Sid came over to him with a bag of take-out. He looked down at the pictures and asked, "That a picture of your girl?"

Booth looked up at him and smiled that goofy 'I'm in love' smile. "Yeah." He grabbed the bags and file as he waved good-bye. "Thanks Sid, I'll see you later."

Sid hollered out to him with a laugh in his voice, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" He watched Booth walk out of the restaurant laughing and muttered, "Damn crazy fools. Whoever can't tell they love each other is blind."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 – Two Bodies in the Lab**

Brennan was sitting in her office at her computer chatting online as Doc206. She was talking to Firstimer34551.

Firsttimer34551: It's been two weeks of typing; I think we're ready to have a meal, if only to give our fingers a rest.

Doc206: I'm enjoying the anonymity.

Firsttimer34551: Oh God, don't tell me your picture was a fake.

Doc206: Just carefully lit. How about yours?

Firsttimer34551: I Photoshopped out my third eye. I'll meet you at 7 at Nolita's on K Street.

Brennan wasn't expecting that. She only did this because Angela had – rather forcibly – given here the website, with an account already made. If only she knew. Now Brennan needed to decide if it would be wrong to set this up. After all, Booth and her did need a new cover story as to why they wouldn't 'hook up'.

Firsttimer34551: Still there?

Dr. Goodman walked into her office just as she was about to reply. "Temperance."

Brennan jumped back in her chair a little startled, "Oh…"

Dr. Goodman wondered why he startled her so badly. What was she up to? "I startled you…"

Brennan smiled and looked back at the monitor, "Yeah, I was just chatting with a friend online."

Dr. Goodman apologized as he explained his reason for being there. "Sorry but we have a new delivery, top priority." Brennan turned back to her computer to type in "I'll be there. 7." She then ended the conversation while Dr. Goodman waited for her. He heard the sound of her signing off and said rather shocked, "Sounds like a good friend."

Brennan was slightly embarrassed about the situation. Goodman knew about her and Booth and now she would most likely need to explain why she was on such a site. "Yes, it's fascinating how interests and intimacy can be cultivated online."

Dr. Goodman didn't like the sound of that. He hoped that nothing was happening between Booth and her. "So you've never met this friend?"

Brennan shrugged, "I've done enough Googling to schedule a dinner. You said there was a delivery?"

She grabbed her lab coat when Dr. Goodman asked her quietly, "Does Booth know about this friend, Dr. Brennan?"

She looked at him as she put on her lab coat. "Dr. Goodman, as you are aware know else knows about our marriage. And to keep from others trying to, how would they put it, 'hook us up' we need them to think that we are not available for each other. Booth and I have agreed that to keep that from happening we need to look like we are dating other people. Which is exactly what I'm doing now. Like I said it's just a dinner. Nothing more, nothing less."

Dr. Goodman nodded his head slowly as he watched her leave the office.

~BONES~

There was a skeleton on the exam table with Hodgins and Zach looking at it. The skeleton had what appeared to be cement blocks on its feet. Brennan and Dr. Goodman walked up on the platform as she put her hair up in a pony tail. Zach came up to her and started to explain, "The bones washed ashore on Chesapeake Bay. "

Hodgins read the readings out of the file, "Judging from the algae, he's been fish food for quite awhile."

Brennan observed, "They ate through both tibia's."

Zach held up the skull as he looked at it, "The remains show evidence of bullet wounds."

Hodgins said sarcastically at Zach's observation. "Which would explain why he has all those holes in him."

Zach ignored Hodgins snide comment and said, "Looks as though they weren't made by a thirty-two, maybe a thirty-eight?"

Angela joined the group on the platform as she walked up from behind Brennan. "Heard you might need a face."

Dr. Goodman supplied his team, "The FBI is pretty certain this is James Cugini. They're looking for evidence that could lead them to the killer."

Hodgins was impressed. "Wow, Jimmy Cugini."

Brennan shook her head as she did her preliminary examination of the skeleton, "I don't know who that is."

Angela didn't like this case one bit. "It's a mob boss who disappeared six years ago after his daughters dance recital."

Hodgins was looking at the cement blocks as he said, "Cement shoes, pretty trite."

Brennan thought back to all the old movies that her and her dad used to watch as she said with a slight smile, "Why mess with the classics?" Angela smirked at her remark and laughed softly as Brennan asked Zach, "Did they find any of the bullets?"

Zach was examining another bone as he answered, 'No."

Brennan was going to like this. Maybe a little too much. "They really are quite good at this."

Hodgins was starting to get concerned now. This was the mob after all. "Should we really be involved in mob stuff? I mean they're really into to the whole killing thing."

Dr. Goodman turned to him and told him in a authoritative tone, "I can provide you with a job description if you've forgotten what we do here, Dr. Hodgins."

Brennan walked toward Zach as she started to tell him what to do. "After you clean him up Zach, I want you to x-ray the bone for any bullet fragments. Be very careful cleaning the exit and entrance wounds. I want to recover any markings the bullet left as it passed through the bone."

Zach nodded his head, "Yeah, I can have them ready about eight tonight."

Brennan remembered then that she had that dinner. That was one good thing about being married, not having to worry about cancelling dates due to ones job. She sighed in frustration, "Uhhh, I can't work tonight. Tomorrow morning is fine."

Angela's ears picked that up rather happily as she said with a smile, "You have a date tonight."

Brennan hated the idea of that. She really didn't want to go anyways, but they needed some type of cover-up. "It's not a date, it's a meal."

Hodgins could laugh at that. "With a man?" Dr. Goodman could now see what Brennan meant by everyone being so interested in her dating life, or lack thereof.

Angela smiled even more. "Did you meet him on the website I told you about?"

Booth swiped his card as he and another man came up onto the platform. He knew that Angela set that up for Brennan, but he didn't know that she had gotten so far with the site. "You're dating online?"

Brennan took off her gloves as she started to walk toward him, trying to put on her poker face for everyone. "Well it's a practical way of objectively examining a potential partner without all the game play."

Angela told Booth as she continued to look at the man next to him, "That comes later if it works out. Hi, I'm Angela."

Kenton shook her hand as he smiled, "Special Agent Jamie Kenton. Hi. Dr. Brennan."

Brennan nodded her as she said, "Hey."

Angela was a little surprised that Brennan knew the agent – and didn't share. "You two know each other?"

Brennan smiled as she remembered that little scene when she came to see if Booth wanted lunch, "Well, I was at the Bureau when Booth took his coffee cup. Apparently their both the world's greatest FBI Agents."

Booth laughed at the memory as well and explained to the two of them, "That's right. Kenton is working the Cugini case. He's one of the original investigators. This is Brennan's brain trust."

Brennan led them to the table. "Your victim is over here"

Booth now focused back onto this whole dating thing. He was fine with her "dating" someone, but he still wanted to run a background check. He wasn't about to let his wife go on a date with just any Joe Schmo. "So what if your computer date's a psycho?"

Angela rolled her eyes at how protective Booth was. If only he'd hurry up. "Only about a billion people date online."

Hodgins looked at them and added, "Yeah, I have."

Booth leaned against one of the tables as he said, "You know, whatever happened to seeing someone across a crowded room, eyes meeting, that old black magic gets you in its spell…"

Brennan smirked and told like she told a thousand times before. "There's no such thing as magic."

Booth's voice dropped down a little and said seductively, "Oh there's magic."

Brennan rolled her eyes and smiled. Then she remembered that he was being rather annoying and said, "Are you here for a reason because Kenton is handling this."

Booth nodded his head. "We have some remains to look at."

Brennan was confused. Did Booth need glasses? "I'm already looking at them."

Booth stood up straight as he pointed at the body, "Nope, no, not the Cugini case. Kenton will babysit him. These are fresh."

Brennan wanted to go with Booth, but Dr. Goodman has just told her that this was top priority. "Well I was told that our friend in the cement shoes took precedence."

Booth told her in an aggravated and sad tone, "That was before we found someone tortured and ripped apart by dogs."

~BONES~

Brennan, Booth, and Zach were inside an abandoned warehouse surveying a rather gruesome crime scene. There was a body with its wrists tied to a pole above its head and large dogs in cages all around the room barking and growling as Brennan spoke into a voice recorder, "Ninety percent of the flesh is missing because of mutilation and post mortem anthropological caused by canine scavenging."

Zach yelled to Booth over the barking dogs, "They have to stay here?"

Booth pointed at them and said, "We're waiting to see if you need them for anything."

Brennan shook her head and said, "No, not now. Ask him to save the excrement for Hodgins."

Booth just wanted to be out of there. "Lucky Hodgins." He watched as Brennan shined a light onto the skull, "What about the eyes?"

Brennan observed, "Gone."

Booth asked disgusted, "Gouged out?"

Brennan was disturbed by the what she saw. "Yes, you can see the scrapings in the orbital cavities much rougher then the knife scaring. It was done with a different weapon."

Booth hated that. He just wanted to punch something really hard. "Son-of-a-bitch."

Brennan then remembered the case file he brought home years ago. "You've seen this before."

Booth nodded and said barely above a whisper, "Yeah, remember two years ago. We found a seventeen year old girl in a tool shed bound, slashed, eyes gouged out, nothing for her parents to identify. Suspect was Kevin Hollings, everything pointed to him but couldn't get the hard evidence so the DA refused to prosecute. He's twisted, Bones. You know, it's like a game to him."

Brennan couldn't remember the exact details of the previous case. All she really remembered was how upset he was. "He used dogs before?"

Booth wanted to rip the guys head off. "No, he's making the killings more elaborate. It's like he's testing us."

Brennan tried to show him the good that could come from this horrible scene, "Until he goes too far and he gets caught. Isn't that the expected pathology?"

Booth knew she was right. But that girl shouldn't have died. It was his fault. "Yeah."

Brennan started to tell him what she could do to help him, "Well I can determine the kinds of weapons, time of death. Hodgins might find something useful in the dogs…" Her phone started to ring and she went to go answer it, thinking that it might be the lab with results on their other victim. "Brennan? Just working." An arm fell off the victim, so Brennan instructed Zach, "Bag that." She then went back to her 'date', which she badly wanted to get out of but knew she couldn't. "Yeah of course. I'm starving. Seven thirty, okay, yes. I'll meet you there. Okay. Bye." She turned to Booth and told him, "My reservation just got pushed by a few extra minutes."

Booth, ever the smart ass, said to her, "Oh, a few extra minutes. Great."

Brennan put on her glove and was surprised by his tone, "What?"

Booth didn't want to get into it with her in front of everyone, "Nothing."

Brennan looked at him through narrowed eyes and said, "You disapprove?"

He couldn't deal with this, not now. "I said great."

Brennan wasn't going to back down though. She didn't like it when they fought like this. With all the tension. "With attitude."

Booth snapped, "Don't go overboard with psychology. It's not your thing."

Brennan walked up to him and whispered at him, "Look, I am an adult Booth. I know how to take of myself. This is just dinner. You knew this would happen. What is the big deal? It's not like I'm going to sleep with him!"

Booth didn't want to admit that he was worried about her. He didn't want to worry, not when he was feeling like this because of the case. But he was worried. Didn't she see the harm in this? "Hey, you know what? That's cool but you don't even know who this guy is that you're meeting."

Brennan told him in an irritated voice, "I have trekked through Tibet avoiding the Chinese army. I think I can handle meeting someone for dinner."

Booth wasn't going to fight about this. If she thought she was fine, then so be it. "Fine, you know what? You have fun with Dick431 or whatever his handle is."

Brennan nodded her head. That man could just be infuriating. "Yeah I will."

Booth looked around them and said through clenched teeth, "Good."

Brennan knew that this was bound to happen. They were keeping their marriage a secret from everyone. There was going to be tension between them because of the lying they had to do. It didn't mean she liked it. If only they both weren't so stubborn. "Thanks."

Booth started to walk around her and back to the wall when he said, "Fine."

Brennan looked back at him and said softly, "Good." She then looked back at the victim and spoke into the voice recorder, "Victim is female, late teens to mid twenties, knife mark on the bone evidence of deep cuts probably to open up the flesh make it more appetizing for the dogs."

~BONES~

Brennan was examining the dead girl while Angela, Hodgins, and Zach gathered around as she said, "Need enlargements of the super orbital notch." She then asked Hodgins, "Have you examined the dogs' excrement?"

Hodgins told her, "I'm doing the fecal flotation now. I don't get to say that a lot."

Brennan tried to keep her mind focused, "Check for fibers the FBI might have missed as well…"

Angela cut her off, concern lacing her voice, "You've already told him, twice. Are you sure you don't want a drink?"

Zach tried to use reason with her, "You know it wouldn't be difficult to someone to encode a secure data strip implant it on an ID card with a correct digitally encoded authentication data and sneak in here."

Hodgins too was concerned for his friend, "That is possible."

Brennan snapped at them, "Are you two going to help or not?" She didn't need that right then. What she needed to do was focus on the evidence.

Angela tried to calm Brennan down. "You know Booth's pissed that you came here. He had more questions for you at the scene."

Zach and Hodgins walked away, seeing that Angela just saved their asses. Brennan really didn't want to hear anything about Booth right then. He had hovered over her at the scene, being his over-protective self.

Brennan shook her head and lied through her teeth, "He just doesn't want to come here because he has to park in the structure. I need her face as quickly as you can." She knew that Booth would be there any second to yell at, but he needed to close up the scene and she ran. Brennan went over to look at the bones that Zach had cleaned, trying to get away from everyone's concern. She examined the bullet holes in the skull and became even angrier, "Zach these bullet holes haven't been cleaned."

Zach walked up slowly to where his mentor was standing, "I worked on them for hours, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan snapped at him angrily, "Then that wasn't long enough was it?" She took notice to the look on Hodgins face behind Zach and softened her tone, "I'm sorry but… You take a sinus probe, you put a little cotton swab on the end of it. You dip it in water and you dab it inside the wound until it's clean. The Sistine Chapel took thirteen years to clean properly."

Zach tried to explain, "I didn't think we had that kind of time."

Booth came striding into the lab and angrily yelled, "Bones! What the hell are you doing?"

Brennan looked down into the telescope and told him aggravatingly, "Working. Why does everyone find that so odd?"

Booth grabbed his card and nearly yelled back, "Why? Oh, I don't know. Why? Because maybe an hour ago someone tried to kill you." He angrily swiped his card and barged up the stairs to the platform as he told her, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to continue to work these cases."

Brennan tried to keep her voice level, "This is what I do Booth."

Booth tried to reason with Brennan, "Alright look, whoever killed these victims wants to make sure you don't finish your investigation."

Brennan sat up straight and looked him straight in the eye. She could see his concern, but she needed to finish this. "Hundreds of criminals would like me to stop what I do. Are you suggesting that I just give up my career?"

Booth pleaded with her. "Just be reasonable." Couldn't she see that she could have been dead right then!

Brennan grabbed her files as she agreed with him on being reasonable, "Fine. Logic suggests that the shooter is involved in one of these cases so I should find out who killed them before he tries to shoot me again. Did Forensics recover the bullets that were meant for me?"

Booth just wanted to shake some sense into her and lock her up to keep her safe. "Ballistics is running tests on them right now."

Brennan kept her professional tone. "And have you picked up the suspect in the young woman's murder?"

Booth could now see what his wife was doing. She had been rattled by the shooting, but she didn't want to show it to anyone. "Hollings, I don't want to spook him until we have enough evidence but I've got guys watching him."

Brennan asked again as she looked at the monitor for the findings, "Did you get a list of woman missing age eighteen to twenty…"

Booth started to walk up to as he cut her off, "Eighteen to twenty-five, yes. They are on your server. Brennan, everyone is doing their job."

Angela walked up to them and said as she sat down at a computer, "Okay I will see if any of them match the victim,"

Brennan asked Booth as she leant in to look at what Angela was doing, "Well what about the Romano family? Hodgins says they were feuding with the Cugini's."

Booth knew he was most likely going to be castrated for what he was going to say next, "Kenton is pulling all the files on the case on all mob activity six years ago. Bones there is one other person we have to look at, your date."

Brennan didn't know if this was one of Booth's way to get a feel for her 'date' or if he was being serious. "Well I spoke with him, Booth. He was in his car in traffic and why would he want to kill me?"

Booth pointed out – happy to see that he was still standing, "Why would somebody want to kill your victim over there? Look Bones, I know it's hard for you to admit you're wrong about something but I really don't care about your feelings right now, I'm more concerned with your life. So they're bringing your date in for interrogation, grab your coat."

Brennan knew he was right. But she didn't want him to be, not on this one. "I'm working."

Booth had had enough. "Bones! I'm not letting you out of my sight until I find out who is trying to kill you."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan entered an interrogation room where Brennan's 'date', David, was sitting at the table. He looked over and stood up to shake his date's hand, "Temperance."

Brennan shook his hand as she smiled and said, "David."

David asked – lamely in Booth's opinion, "Someone shot at you?"

Brennan referred to the rip in her jacket by pointing at it, "Yeah."

David looked down and was shocked, "Oh my God."

Brennan smiled slightly, "I know."

David tried to offer some comfort, "What can I do?"

Booth just wanted to knock this David fellow over his head as he closed the door. "Excuse me, I'm special Agent Seeley Booth. I'll be asking the questions. You want to sit down?" He stepped in front of Brennan as he said the last part. He wasn't so sure about this guy now. The exact night that his wife tries to go on a 'date' with him and she gets shot at. He didn't like it one bit.

David stepped back a little at the Booth's tone and sat down. "Sure, I mean I didn't see anything. When I got to the restaurant I saw the cops but I had no idea that it had to do with you."

Booth started to walk to his own seat as he started the interrogation, "You're an investment banker, good looking guy but yet you find your women online."

David didn't like where this was going, "Excuse me?"

Booth hated online anything. But finding someone to date. Whatever happened to fate? "Can't you find any woman at work?"

David gestured to Brennan as he tried to reason with Booth, "Well she was online too and she's a great looking doctor. Your picture doesn't do you justice by the way." He tried to add in that compliment and score some brownie points with her.

Brennan smiled as she tried to play along. David was still a good way to keep everyone off the topic of Booth and her. "Thank you. Yours either. The resolution must not be very good online."

Booth couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. Did Brennan not get that this man was a suspect? He watched her move to sit next to David as he said, "Bones."

Brennan tried to explain to David why Booth was acting like he was, "Oh he's a Luddite."

Booth didn't need her defending him. "Hey!"

Brennan tried to calm Booth down a little, so she comfortingly said, "That's someone who's afraid of technology."

Booth looked at her for a brief second and then turned his hard gaze on David, "I know what a Luddite is. So are you saying that you were stuck in traffic?"

David finally saw why he was there, "What? You think I shot at her?" At Booth's narrowed glare David told him, "I'm a fundraiser for the Brady campaign against gun violence." He then turned to Brennan and asked, "Do you think I tried to kill you?"

Brennan tried to keep the tension at bay. Booth was tense and she knew why but that didn't mean he had to take it out on David. "He has to do this."

Booth brought David's attention back to him, "Yeah I have to do this, so what time did you leave work?"

David gave him his answer, with a little attitude. "About six forty-five."

Booth questioned, "Any witnesses?"

David was growing frustrated now himself. "Yeah, yeah, my assistant; Margaret Jenson, the client I was with, the valet that saw me pull out of the parking garage. I mean unless they are all suspects too."

Booth snorted softly at that and told him with a smirk, "We'll be talking to everyone."

David could see that this Booth was serious about the whole situation. "Well did you check the traffic report? It was a mess."

Brennan jumped in, again trying to stop the upcoming fight, "He did." She turned to Booth and said reasoningly, "You did."

David was now growing worried at the line of questions, "Do I have to get an attorney?"

Booth loved that he was scaring this kid. He leaned in and told him, "Just stay close in case we need you for anything else."

David slowly started to get up as he said to them, "Yeah, sure. I mean anything I can do to help."

Booth then decided to get straight to the most important information, "So this whole online thing, how long does it last because if it's just a way to, hook up. I gotta tell you. It's pretty low."

David turned around and smiled at Brennan when he said, "You know one of my partners met his wife online."

Brennan was actually shocked by that. To find someone's mate online sounded…preposterous, "You're kidding?"

David smiled and shook his head. He liked Brennan, he hoped it was going to go somewhere. "No, they've been married for five years."

Booth couldn't help but add, "Doesn't mean it's not creepy."

David sensed the tension between the two partners and said, "Okay, I'm sorry. Did I miss something 'cause I don't want to get in the way or between…"

Brennan and Booth hurriedly tried to cover up for themselves. "What? Uh, no." "No."

David was happy to hear that. "Well then maybe we could reschedule dinner?"

Booth turned away muttering, "No." He couldn't even look at this guy with wanting to punch him. He knew what men thought when they looked at Bones; he was a guy himself for heaven's sakes.

Brennan smiled – glad to see that she could still use David as a cover for them. "Sure."

David smiled back, "Great."

Booth had enough of listening to that. "You know I think someone needs this room. Let's go." He escorted David out of the room putting himself between David and Brennan.

David nodded, seeing that Booth didn't like him. He knew he couldn't take on Booth, so he backed away. "Ah yeah sure. Well I'll email you. Stay safe."

Booth told him in an almost growl, "She will stay safe."

David left and Booth stopped in the doorway of the room. Brennan was looking around Booth at David as she said to him, "See, he's nice. Don't you think?"

Booth turned around as he said, "Yeah, he's nice as a suspect." He noticed Brennan staring after David. "What?" Booth waved a hand in front of her face trying to get her attention. "Hello?" He moved in front of her to block her view, which caused Brennan to laugh

Adjusting his tie, Brennan whispered, "Booth, I'm only doing this for us. You know I would never do anything with David."

Booth looked down at her and said even softer, "That doesn't mean that I have to like the man. He's weird, that's all I'm saying."

~BONES~

Angela walked into Brennan's office and handed her a photo. "Hey. The victim was Penny Hamilton, nineteen. She was a student at American, who disappeared walking back to her dorm. She was about to go to Haiti to work at a medical clinic."

Brennan sighed deeply. She knew what this would do to Booth, "Booth is going to think that this is his fault."

Angela was surprised to hear that Brennan had that much insight on Booth. Maybe there was something there. "He knew her?"

Brennan shook her head. "The killer has done before. Booth couldn't get the evidence he needed. The guy promised Booth he never would."

Angela sighed sadly. That big man had such a big heart. "Where is Booth anyway? Thought he wasn't going to let you out of his sight."

Brennan leant back in her chair as she talked with Angela, "I gave him the positive ID on Cugini. He's calling it in to Kenton."

Angela could see that both these cases were getting to her friend so she changed the subject to something much more fun. "So how do you like David? It's not often you can interrogate a guy on a first date."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders, impassive. "I like him. Booth still doesn't approve but I told him to mind his own business." She added that last part to make Angela think that there was no possible chance for them.

Angela jumped to Booth's defense immediately, "Hey, Booth is a big strong hot guy who wants to save your life. I mean you actually have a knight in shining FBI standard issued body armor, so cut him some slack." Brennan knew Angela was right. And she was happy to have Booth, but sometimes he could be overly over-protective.

Booth walked in and told her, "Kenton heard the Romano's were pissed that they were reopening the investigation. They get pissed, they shoot."

Zach walked into the office and said, "I cleaned the bones Dr. Brennan. You could eat off them."

Booth saw a picture of a girl on her desk and asked, "Is this her?"

Brennan looked up at Booth and said softly, "Yeah." Booth kept looking at the picture as she passed by him and discreetly squeezed his arm for comfort.

~BONES~

Zach explained what he found in the sockets, "The grooving in the eye sockets doesn't match anything on the knife."

Booth nodded his and started to walk away, "And Hodgins is playing with dog poop so everyone's got something to do." He then spoke to Brennan, "Let's go."

Brennan looked at him surprised, "What?"

Booth tried to guide her away and off the platform as he explained, "Kenton is putting together everything he's got on Cugini's disappearance."

Brennan reasoned with him, "I'm probably more valuable here."

Booth told her with great conviction in his voice, "No, you're definitely more valuable alive. Alright? I'm not leaving you alone. Come on." Brennan relented at his tone. He was after all only trying to protect her.

~BONES~

Brennan walked in with Booth into their apartment. Brennan tried to reason with her husband, "Romano didn't give us anything so I should probably be back at the lab."

Booth shook his head, "No you're squints can handle it. You haven't slept in over a day, Alright? You need to get some rest. As do I."

Brennan looked at him finally seeing that they were both over-worked, "You haven't slept yet either have you? I thought I told you to take a nap on my couch in my office Booth?"

Booth smiled grimly, "Yeah, well when someone tries to put a bullet in my wife's skull it's hard to sleep. Okay look I want you to stay away from the windows too, okay? A sniper has a clear shot from any of these surrounding buildings."

Brennan still tried to show him that the lab was a better place to stay, "I could have just stayed at the lab. The security is tight there."

Booth shook his head again and laughed softly, "Then you would have worked. You would have gotten tired and you would have been more vulnerable when you did go out. Trust me this is the best, alright? Plus, you have me!" He turned around to turn on the TV when he noticed… "So, where the hell is our TV?"

Brennan smiled sheepishly at him, "I had that one taken out…I was going to get you a new one for our anniversary. We could listen to music."

Booth smiled down at her and said, "So let's listen to some music. Huh?" He walked over to their stereo and began to look through the CD collection for something to listen to. "Music, what do we got, Bones? Wow! When did you get all this world music? Tibetan throat singers. Rock on, babe.

Brennan rolled her eyes, "You know that's mostly for work."

Booth moved over to the other CD stacks and started browsing through it. "Kanye West, Cat Power…Oh, oh. Look at this! Man, jazz!"

Brennan smiled as she thought of one of their first dates. "I love jazz. The artist has to live within a set tonal structure and trust his own instincts to find his way out of an infinite maze of musical possibilities and the great ones do." Booth smiled at her, she took notice and asked, "What?"

Booth shook his head, "Oh nothing, I just…You just reminded me of one of the many reasons I fell in love with you." He saw her blush and tried to alleviate that, " No, hey. I didn't mean to make you feel self conscious or…." Booth then saw their CD lying in front of the stereo. "Whoa, what's this? Ha."

Brennan tried to look over his shoulder as he put it in the stereo. "What is it?"

Booth smiled even more as it started to load. "Nice."

Brennan laughed slightly at Booth's antics. "Booth."

Booth started to bob his head with the music as he turned around and brought Brennan into his arms to dance. He dipped her down and said, "This is our song Bones! Check it baby." He spun her out just as the lyrics started. Both of them pretended to play guitars as they sang along.

The phone started to ring just as Booth started to play air drums. Brennan ran to answer it and yelled over the music, "Brennan. David, Hi. I'm fine thanks. Booth, yeah. I'm still under lock down until we solve these crimes. Yes, Foreigner. Okay I'll. Okay sure. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay, thanks for calling. Bye." Brennan hung up the phone and walked over to Booth and laughed as he started to dance with her again.

Booth whispered in her ear, "I hope he didn't think…"

Brennan shook her head as the swayed to the music, "No."

Booth kept dancing but looked her in the eyes as he told her honestly, "No 'cause I …I wouldn't want to uh, you know ruin things for what you've set up."

Brennan smiled. "Not a problem." She leant in a kissed him softly on the lips as they continued to dance to the song.

Booth smiled as well and continued to dance with her for a few more seconds before he asked, "Hey, you want something to drink? Because I'm parched."

Brennan smiled and shook her head, "That's okay. I'm fine." She watched as Booth walked into the kitchen and then remembered that she moved all the cups. "Oh Booth, I moved the glasses in the cupboard to the right of the fridge."

Booth grabbed the refrigerator with his left hand while reached over with his right to open the cupboard. As he opened the refrigerator door, there was an explosion which blew Booth backward. He landed on his back unconscious with the refrigerator door covering his lower half. Brennan turned around shocked but broke in to a run right away. She ran to him, grabbing a blanket off the couch. When she got to him she tried to put out some of the small flames and removed the refrigerator door.

~BONES~

Booth was sitting up in a hospital bed covered with bruises, his arm was in a sling, and a brace supported his collar bone. Brennan was sitting in a chair next to the bed reading through his medical file as Booth said, "Kenton is on his way over. You have to promise me that you are going to stay with him."

Brennan held onto his hand, "I will."

Booth looked at her still slightly disoriented from the blast, "Did they gather all the evidence from the explosion?"

Brennan nodded her head, "Yes."

Booth needed to make sure she was safe. "You're sure?"

Brennan squeezed his hand. "Yes. Booth, I was there. They were very thorough and I was very annoying." Brennan watched as Booth winced in pain and her heart clenched in pain – however irrational that was. "I'm sorry, Booth. It's should be me lying in that bed."

Booth snorted slightly, "I'm fine babe. You know, I…I don't even know if…if I have to stay here. You know?"

Brennan rolled her eyes at that. "You got blown up Seeley."

Booth waved that off, "I've been worse."

Brennan pointed out just how badly he was hurt. "You have burns, lacerations, two broken ribs, green stick fracture of the clavicle…"

Booth sighed. He just wanted to make sure that Bones was going to be safe. "Okay, I got blown up." He tried to reach for some more pudding but couldn't get it. He looked at Brennan helplessly and asked, "Can you…Can you hand me one of the puddings?" Brennan stood up and grabbed one, opened it, then handed it to him placing a kiss on his forehead softly. Booth sighed slightly happily and said, "Oh man. Thanks, Bones. Look at that."

Brennan looked down at his x-rays and said to him softly, "You know on your x-rays, there's a history of multiple fractures on your feet consistent with beating. It's a common method of torture in the Middle East, beating the soles of the feet with pipes or hoses. And there are indications of injuries sustained while you were shielding someone."

Booth looked at her and asked quietly, "How the hell can you tell something like that?"

Brennan didn't want to push, but Booth had always been so quiet about his history in the Army. What she saw scared her. "The scaring shows that the rib cage spread in such a way that…"

Booth relented. She should know, he'd wanted to tell her. But he still had so many demons to deal with. "Yeah, okay. A buddy of mine, he lost his weapon and I uh, I tried. He didn't make it. You know you shouldn't be looking at my x-rays."

Brennan took his hand that was holding the spoon as squeezed it again. "I'm sorry. But you did your best, I know you did."

Kenton stood at the door and said, "Hey." He didn't want to startle the two.

Booth looked up from looking into Brennan's eyes. He discreetly let go of her hand as he said, "Yeah."

Kenton walked in and told him bluntly, "You look like crap."

Booth joked around a bit, "Yeah well a little bit more of this pudding and I'll be just fine, you know. Stick with her." He wasn't going to let anything happen to Brennan and he could trust one of his own.

Kenton nodded, "Yeah if you want me to."

Brennan didn't want to leave Booth, so she said, "Don't you think I should be consulted."

Booth looked at Brennan and said, "No." He then looked to Kenton and told him, "Keep her close."

Kenton nodded, "Don't worry."

~BONES~

Brennan, Angela, and Zach are looking at a computer screen with Kenton standing behind them. Zach stated the facts, "It could have been you."

Brennan sighed, "Yes, Zach. I know."

Zach told her, "The only reason he survived is that he was reaching for the glass."

Brennan sighed again. She didn't want to think about that. Now she knew how Booth felt when she was shot at. "I know. Can we change the subject?"

Angela said angrily, "Let's talk revenge, bloodlust."

Brennan reasoned with them, "The cathartic release we are looking for can only be achieved when we successfully gather enough evidence to neutralize the person or persons responsible for putting Booth in that hospital."

Zach pointed out, "Neutralize can mean either kill or arrest."

Brennan smirked slightly. Oh, she knew that. "Yes, it can mean either."

~BONES~

Hodgins came into Booth's hospital room, "Hey."

Booth was confused as to why he was there. "Why are you here?" He started to panic at the thought came to mind… "Is Bones alright?"

Hodgins tried to calm Booth down, "Sure, yeah no. She's with your compadre. I came by to see how you are."

Booth calmed down and relaxed again, "Oh."

Hodgins saw the pudding on the table and went straight for it. "Pudding, I still remember this stuff from when I got my appendix out."

Booth slapped his spoon on top of the container and said, "Yeah and that's as good as you remember. The key fit?"

Hodgins nodded and told him the latest developments. "Yeah and they found a map of the neighborhood where the other body was found and some more keys."

Booth was surprised to hear that. "Found a map? No we didn't…we didn't catch that before?"

Hodgins didn't think anything of it. "No, I guess not or maybe your killer is getting sloppy."

Booth shook his head, "That's not like him."

Hodgins walked to a chair and sat down in it as he said, "Well it wasn't like him to use explosives either. People change. It's the wonderful thing about life. Now we can get him before he gets Brennan. Can I have this one?" He started to dig into the pudding when he noticed how silent Booth was, "You okay?"

Booth snapped out of his thinking and said, "Huh? Yeah, yeah. I'm just thinking people don't really change. We like to believe they do but they don't."

Hodgins liked what he was thinking, "You're thinking that it's the mob guys we're after."

Booth just said, "I'm just thinking that things, they don't make sense."

Hodgins could definitely go with that train of thought, "You're feeling something a little more devious more like a frame up. Oh I like it, very conspiratorial."

Booth was more talking to himself than Hodgins when he said, "Things are just too neat. You know Hollings would never leave a map there."

Hodgins was definitely starting to like Booth. "Go with me on this. Mob guys know you're closing in and want to throw you off by making it look like the psycho, and these guys have been involved in conspiracies a lot more complicated than this. They set up Lee Harvey Oswald, worked with the CIA to kill Castro. Forget about what they did to Marilyn Monroe."

Booth nodded his as things started to fall into place. "Someone planted that evidence so that we'd find it. Someone who knew what we were up to."

Hodgins nodded his head as well at that idea. "Someone at the lab works for the mob. I can see it. There's not much difference between a corrupt corporate government and organized crime."

Booth threw the spoon down on the table as he grew angry, "You're right."

Hodgins wasn't expecting that. "Excuse me?"

Booth started to get up as he took off the blood pressure cuff, "The only way that this could unfold is if someone on the inside was orchestrating things."

Hodgins couldn't believe what he was hearing. "People never tell me I'm right. They only say I'm crazy. Love you, man." Booth started to sit up to get out of bed when Hodgins asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

Booth didn't even wait to answer, "You're driving."

Hodgins put the putting down as he said, "Cool."

~BONES~

Hodgins threw down his phone, "Brennan is not picking up her cell."

Booth was pissed now. Running on pure adrenaline. "Kenton, he never called for backup or surveillance or anything. Geez, how can I be so stupid? Everything pointed to him."

Hodgins tried to reason with him, "Hey, it is not your fault."

Booth kept beating himself up. "How could it not be my fault? It was my job to protect her instead I hand her over to him."

~BONES~

Booth and Hodgins were outside warehouse when an agent walked up to Booth, "We used thermal imagery to see what activity there was inside the buildings, found a crack house, a couple of squatters, was about to move in here next."

Booth shook his head, "No, no, no. He hears noise; you know he could freak out and kill her. We got to be careful."

The Agent looked at him like he was crazy, "There's no we, Booth."

Booth wasn't going to argue with anyone. He was going to save his wife. "Yeah, I'm going in with you."

The Agent shook his head, "You can barely stand."

Booth almost yelled at him, "I said I'm going with you. Give me my gun."

The Agent handed Booth a gun and yelled to another Agent, "Bring me that vest for Booth." He passed the vest to Booth and told him, "Wear this."

Booth took the vest and tried to put it on, unsuccessfully. "Yep. Alright, you know what?" He decided that he didn't have time for that and threw it to Hodgins. "You can come too. Alright, put that on and you stay back."

Hodgins nodded as he put it on, "I can do that."

They entered the warehouse, checking each room, making sure everything was clear. Booth went straight to the rooms that he knew Kenton would use. Booth and Hodgins were checking to make sure a room was clear when Booth leant back and groaned. Hodgins looked at him worried and said, "Maybe you shouldn't have had all that pudding."

Booth walked through the doorway and nodded to a room that would most likely be one of the rooms, when he noticed Bren's keys on the ground. He whistled for Hodgins and the Agent to look at it when he heard dogs growling. He didn't even wait for them to check it, he went straight to it.

~BONES~

Kenton pulled out his gun to hit Brennan and knock her out as he told her, "I'm not like him at all. The things I have to do to you, you'll be gone first. You'll never know a thing. I never expected anyone to find out."

Booth limped ran into the room and shot Kenton in the raised arm. He hurried to Brennan and pulled off the gag. "Alright. Okay, Alright. Hold on." He tried to lift her up with his hand, but soon found that he was too weak. He ducked his head under the hook between her arms and lifted her off the hook. They both fell to their knees holding onto one another. Booth tried to comfort his crying wife, "Oh, its okay. I'm right here. It's all over. Okay. Shh. I'm right here, alright. It's all over. Shh…alright. I've got you babe."

Brennan, with her arms still around his neck, moved back a bit to look at him, "How did you get out of the hospital?"

Booth winced slightly, "Hodgins gave me a ride. Maybe…maybe you could give me a ride back though, huh?" Brennan grabbed him again and hugged him tightly whispering, "I love you."

~BONES~

Booth was back in his hospital room telling Brennan the good news, "Kenton is telling us everything. I mean I guess he figures there's nothing to hide. He's finished anyway."

Brennan threw away the last bit of the pudding cups into the garbage when she said, "Better late than never, huh?"

Booth sighed, "Yeah, I guess. You know, I let you down, Bones. I'm sorry."

Brennan came over to his good side and sat down in the chair as she grabbed his hand. "You saved my life."

Booth shook his head. He was disgusted with himself. "Yeah but you know, I shouldn't …it shouldn't have gone down like that. I could have gotten you killed."

Brennan kissed his knuckles, "And I could have gotten you killed with that explosion." After a few seconds of silence, she joked with him, "What a pair." Booth laughed at that as her phone rang, "Brennan. Um, I was going leaving right now." She looked at Booth and smiled, "But David we're going to have to reschedule our dinner. My head still hurts. Yeah, I'm sorry. Bye"

Booth smiled lovingly at her, "You didn't have to do that Bren. I'll be fine. I'm just going to you know, flip around the TV here."

Brennan smiled and said, "I know. You sure you don't want anything else? More pudding?"

Booth grabbed her hand and said, "Nah. I'm good." Booth flipped through some stations and stopped on The Grape of Wrath. He looked down at their joined hands and then at Brennan. She was wearing worn jeans and one of his FBI t-shirts. He gently tugged on her hand which caused her to look down from where the TV was. "Come here."

Brennan smiled, confused, "What?"

Booth scooted over a little bit in the bed to make room for her. "Sit with me Bones."

She started to protest though, "But your injuries. I don't want to hurt you."

Booth tugged at her hand one last time. "You won't, I promise." She smiled at him again and gently climbed into bed with him. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist, being careful with his ribs as she rested her head against his good shoulder.

She felt safe in his arms. Safe and warm. But most importantly loved. "I love you Booth."

He kissed her on the top of her head, "I love you too Bones. So much."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 – Woman in the Tunnel**

Brennan hadn't been paying attention to what Booth and the officer were discussing, what she really wanted to do was get the rats to stop compromising her evidence. "May I borrow your gun?"

Booth looked at skeptically. Whenever she asked for a gun it never ended well. "Why do you want my gun?"

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to shoot anyone. I promise."

Booth still didn't like the idea. "It's not a hammer or anything."

Brennan looked at him annoyed. "We've been working together for months, Booth. A little trust would be nice."

Booth grabbed his gun. He did trust her, but still… "Careful."

Brennan took the gun as she handed him her flashlight. "Here. Hold this." She shot the gun a few times at the rats, then handed it back to Booth as she grabbed her flashlight again, "Now they'll eat each other and leave our remains alone."

Booth couldn't believe she had just done that. He told her angrily, "You know, you do know I have to file a report with the review board each time I discharges a round from my weapon."

Brennan chose to ignore that. Booth was always so picky about her firing a gun. "Pictures, Zach. The rats scattered the remains, so give me a five-meter radius. The velocity of the fall shattered her body on impact. Tibia's and fibula's broken below the knees, vertebrae compressed and shattered..."

Booth shone the light on the body and asked, "Her?"

Brennan looked up at him and nodded her head. "Yeah. I just hope that she was dead before the rats got to her."

Booth did not like that thought. "Oh, God. Any idea how long she's been down here?"

Brennan looked down at the remains and told him, "We should have some answers when Hodgins analyzes the bugs, but rats can strip a body in days."

Booth looked back down at the victim and observed, "Shirt, pants, but no jacket or shoes. No way rats can carry that off."

Brennan had been looking at him while he was talking but something caught her eye. Some movement. She looked over and saw a man standing away from them, watching them. "Excuse me! Sir?" She watched him run away from them as she started to stand up. She broke out in a run as she yelled, "Sir!"

Booth looked back to where she was looking and then he saw his wife running down a dark tunnel, alone. He took off running after her, leaving the officer and Zach behind at the scene. "Hey, what the hell? Bones! Easy! Bones, what the hell are you doing? Bones!" Booth caught up to her and grabbed her around the waist, "You don't just go running after guys into the dark. You nearly gave me a heart attack Bren."

Brennan looked down at the tunnel where the man disappeared in. "He didn't need any light. He knew exactly where he was going."

Booth shone his light down the tunnel to see where exactly he could have gone, trying to calm his pounding heart. "Yeah, that's creepy."

Brennan looked at him as she told him, "He lives down here Booth."

He looked down the tunnel one last time and said to her, "I'll see what I can find out about it. But don't you ever do that again Temperance. He could have hurt you."

Brennan rolled her eyes at that. "Seeley, I can take care of myself. I was fine."

Booth shook his head. "No, you promise me. Don't go running after guys in the dark. Promise me."

She looked at him in the eyes and saw his fear. She knew that his alpha-male tendencies made him overly protective of her, but she never saw that look before. He was truly scared for her life. She brought her hand up and cupped his cheek, "I promise that I won't go running after males in the dark, alone."

Booth squeezed her waist and leaned into her as he whispered, "Thank you." He directed them back the crime scene as Brennan tried to tamper down her arousal for him. When he showed his alpha-maleness, it turned her on more than she liked to admit. And with what he was wearing, she wanted to eat him up.

~BONES~

Brennan was talking with Zach after changing out of her suit, when she saw Booth walk toward his SUV. "Zach, I want you to bring the remains back to the lab and start examining them with Hodgins. I'm going to ride with Booth." Zach started to ask why, but soon saw that she was already walking away from him and to Booth's SUV.

Brennan jumped into the passenger seat before he even started the car. "Bones, what are you doing? I told you I'd meet you at the lab."

Brennan smoothed at her pants as she slowly said, "I know. But I wanted to ride with you." The ride back to the lab was mostly in silence. Brennan was trying to figure out away to get Booth in the back seat, while Booth kept wondering what had gotten into the woman sitting next to him. She never just 'wanted to ride with him'. As he pulled into the parking garage and into a parking space Brennan still couldn't find a good reason for him to go back there with her. He turned off the car as she turned to look at him. She was going to have to be blunt, "Booth I am very aroused right now and I would…"

Booth however stopped her by him saying, "What?"

She looked at him concerned, "Do we need to get your hearing checked? I said I am very aroused right now and I…"

Booth still looked at her in shock. They've had their fair share of interesting conversations but this was… "No I don't need my hearing checked. I just…Why?"

Brennan furrowed her brow. Surely he knew how appealing he was to her. "Well, I've never seen you in this," she waved her hand up and down, "outfit before and I find it to be very…stimulating. There's also the factor that you where acting very protective over me, and I find that also very attractive for some reason. Which led me to this juncture in which I find myself being sexually frustrated and I would like to alleviate the situation before we go back to work."

Booth looked at her amused now. Her and her squint talk. "So what you're trying to say is that you think I'm hot. No, I get it Bones. I mean I do look good in all black and…"

Brennan placed her hand on his thigh as she smiled at him seductively, "Shut up Booth and kiss me already." Booth happily complied. Their lips melded together, first going slowly then turning rather passionate and fast. Brennan slipped off her shoes with her feet as she started to unbutton her pants and slid them down as well.

While still kissing each other, she climbed over the console on straddled Booth with only her underwear still on. Booth slid one of his hands up her shirt as his other one tangled in her hair, bringing her even closer to him. His other hand gently cupped her breast and started to massage it, eliciting a moan from Brennan.

Brennan desperately reached for the handle to adjust the seat, bringing them both down as the chair reclined rapidly. Booth chuckled at her antics, but that soon turned into a moan as she dragged her nail down his abdomen to his pants, deftly undoing them. She tugged roughly at them to bring them down, but needed assistance from Booth. Still kissing each other, Booth lifted his hips off his seats as she pulled them and his boxers down his waist, causing his own arousal to press against her center making her rock down slight at the contact. She moaned out as Booth trailed kisses down her throat, "Booth, oh god, I need you inside me…now."

Booth brought both his hands down to her waist and huskily said, "I hope you don't like this pair of underwear, babe."

Brennan shook her head as she nibbled on his earlobe. "I have an extra pair in the back." That was all he needed to know. Booth ripped the fabric apart, throwing it to the side as he started to kiss Brennan again on the mouth. He slid into her wet center as their tongues glided against each other. Brennan sank down completely, loving how full she felt. She moaned, "Yes, god yes."

Booth lifted her up slightly with his strong hands and then down again as he huskily asked, "Is that good baby?"

Brennan nodded her head as she moaned when he hit her g-spot. "Booth. Booth, yes."

Booth loved watching her like that. So free. He lifted his hips off his chair bringing more stimulation to Bones. He could feel her walls starting to clench around him. She was moving faster against him and she was panting harder than before. He brought his hand around her neck and crashed his lips to hers, whispering, "You are so beautiful." That seemed to be her breaking point, for her orgasm came out of nowhere. She clenched him tightly as he thrust upward, causing him to swear softly at the sensation, "Fuck Bones." Booth wasn't expecting that type of reaction, so he was unprepared for his own release as his hot seed spurted in her core. They both rode it out as their bodies came back down to reality. Both of them thinking that was possibly the best lovemaking they've ever had in Booth's SUV. They definitely needed to try that again, later.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were in Booth's SUV driving after talking to Hodgins when Booth said, "Harold will know where that vault is."

Brennan had a thought, "Okay, maybe you could try the 'Hey, we're brothers in arms' thing on him."

Booth knew that she spoke without thinking sometimes and she didn't mean how it sounded, but that was just… "Okay, that, what you just said right there, Bones- that was cynical. It was glib and cynical."

Brennan looked at him apologetically, "Really?"

Booth nodded. "Yes, really. I know what that guy has been through." Booth knew exactly what Harold was thinking, what he felt. He lived with those demons every day.

Brennan gently placed her hand on his thigh. She told him softly, "Booth, what you did saved countless lives. You are a good man. Never forget that."

Booth smiled slightly at her. She always knew what to say, even if she thought she didn't have people skills.

~BONES~

Booth, Brennan and Harold were walking in the sewers when Brennan said, "You know, you don't have to live down here. There are alternatives."

Harold shook his head. "No, not for me."

Brennan had seen this before in Booth when they first met. "You're hiding. You have to face your demons."

Harold still wouldn't budge, "Living here, this is the only way I can pay so I won't have to go to hell for what I've done."

Brennan only wanted to help. She didn't know what would have happened if she hadn't met Booth when she did. Would he still be gambling? "Harold, there are programs that help people like you."

Harold looked back at her and asked, "And what are people like me?"

Brennan told him honestly, "Mentally ill."

Booth had been listening and looking around at the same time, thinking back to his old days in the Rangers. However at that he needed to jump in. "Whoa, Bones, simmer down, all right? You might want to just, you know, sidle up to the issue a little easier."

Harold shook his head. "I like it. Someone's honest, says the truth. You don't lie, I guess."

Brennan thought about that for a few seconds. "No, I don't lie about things like this. Agent Booth and I would be glad to help you."

Harold pointed down the tunnel and said, "This is as far as I go."

Brennan misunderstood what he said and told him, "It doesn't have to be that way."

Booth pointed down the tunnel as an explanation to Bones as he said, "No, Bones, he means this is the perimeter. This is as far as he agreed to take us."

They both looked down the tunnel. This case was hitting a little closer to home than either of them first thought.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were back in the sewers. Brennan whispered to Booth, "This is one of the situations where I need a gun."

Booth didn't agree. At all. "No, you don't, okay. We're going to have six highly-trained FBI Tac Team members do the dirty work. We're just going to watch. What's your 20, Tac Team Three?"

The Tac Team leader answered, "According to this map, we're with you?"

Brennan pointed out the obvious, "They aren't with us."

Booth stopped as he told her annoyed, "I realize that, Bones. Re-orient, Tac Team Three."

Tac Team leader told him, "Suggest you wait for rendezvous, Booth."

Booth spoke into his walkie, "Ten-four, Tac Team Three."

Brennan looked down at the map on her phone as she told Booth, "Okay, I bet tick-tock team is here, two levels above us."

Booth chuckled at Brennan's words. "Don't call them tick-tock team, okay? They're Tac Team. It's short for tactical."

Brennan followed Booth as he started to walk around the corner and asked again, "Can I just have a gun at least until they get here?"

Booth muttered under his breath. She did need to have some type of weapon in case something happened to him. "It's not for shooting rats. It's for psychos with climbing axes."

Brennan kept following Booth as she asked, "So what do we do, just wait?"

Booth looked down a tunnel and started to brush spider webs away. "We just, uh, we reconnoiter. In."

Brennan followed him inside then tunnel. She couldn't help but tell him, "I very much like working behind you in this scenario Booth."

Booth stopped and looked back at her, "Ha ha ha. Very funny Bones. Hands to yourself." He then came up to the end of the tunnel a kicked the gate open. He slid out first and helped Brennan out, "Easy. Watch yourself." They walked for a few minutes in the new tunnel until the came upon a room full of crates, "Wow. What do we got here? Tac Team Three, this is Booth. What's your six?"

Tac Team leader replied, "Stand by, Booth."

Brennan mumbled to Booth, "They're lost." Brennan noticed something on the ground as they advance through the tunnel as Booth told her, "They're not lost." He noticed Brennan pick something up off the ground as asked, "What's that, lucky quarter?"

Brennan examined it for a few seconds and told him, "This could be the missing piece from Marni Hunter's skull."

Booth didn't not find that pleasant at all. "Okay. Think she was killed here?"

Brennan told him dryly, "That's a plausible conclusion."

Booth rolled his eyes at her tone. "Don't get all gushy on me. Tick Tock Three."

Tac Team leader asked confused, "Did you just call us Tick Tock?"

Booth couldn't believe his slip up. He wasn't surprised though, that's the only thing that Brennan kept calling them. "Tac Team Three, standby."

Brennan heard clinking in the background and asked quietly, "Do you hear that?"

Booth listened for a few seconds before he answered, "Yeah."

They walked up to a door and opened a small window as they saw treasure and the picture. Brennan said, "That's the blonde woman."

Booth tried to open the door. "This is locked. You know what, we got to get in there."

Brennan whispered to him, "Are we waiting for Tick Tock Three?"

Booth shook his head as he looked around, his arm instinctively wrapping around her waist. "They might not find us for a week. If we go after them, these guys will take off. I want to catch them in the act of stealing."

Brennan brought up her phone and showed him a tunnel to get to them. "All right, we can go in through here."

Booth whispered to her and squeezed her hip to get her attention. "Bones, we go in there, you are responsible for whoever is on your left. Okay, you put your gun on him."

Brennan started to walk toward their entrance and said, "Okay. How will I know whether or not to shoot?"

Booth started to jog as he told her, "Wondering whether or not to shoot, you shoot."

Brennan followed suit and said matter-of-factually, "And let you do the talking."

Booth smiled as he replied, "Yeah, well, I took that one for granted."

Kyle and Duke were looting gold bars among other various treasures as Booth and Brennan came into the room. Booth yelled, "FBI. Hands in the air."

Brennan swung around and aimed at the man on her left. She couldn't help but get involved as she repeated, "Yeah, hands in the air."

Duke raised his hands in the air as he said, "We're not armed."

Kyle tried to diffuse the situation, "Everybody relax. They don't shoot people for trespassing."

Booth kept his gun aimed on Duke as he said, "They do for murder. Put your hands on your head. Do it."

Kyle had no clue what they were talking about. "Murder? What murder?"

Booth tossed over his handcuffs as he commanded Kyle, "Kyle, I'm throwing you these restraints. Put them on Duke. Now."

Duke was starting to get nervous. "How are we supposed to climb out of here in handcuffs?"

Brennan was definitely getting a little bit too into it as she said, "Would you rather go out in body bags? Put on the damn restraints." She heard Booth clear his throat and looked back at him, "Let you do the talking. Got it."

Kyle still didn't get it. "You think we killed Marni?"

Brennan told them truthfully, "She was killed with a climbing ax."

Booth really needed to sit down with her and go over arresting etiquette. She was not handling this situation well. He tried to take control of it. "Duke, sit down. Bones, give me your gun. Take the restraints out of my belt, and put them on Kyle." He kept his gun aimed as Brennan came over to him and placed her gun his pants pocket, pointing directly at… "That's not cocked, is it? Because where that's pointed..."

Brennan could've laughed at what he was saying. "You're safe."

Kyle was still processing all the information. "Marni was killed with a climbing ax?"

Brennan explained to them as she got Booth's handcuffs, "She knew about this treasure, she was going to put it in her documentary, would've cost you guys a fortune. So one of you killed her. Who's left handed?"

Booth told her honestly, "Bones, you know, it's best to have this sort of explanation after the bad guys are incapacitated."

Brennan looked back at him as she was about to handcuff Kyle, "Why?" However Kyle took that opportunity to push Brennan away, grab a heavy artifact and hit Duke over the head, yelling, "You killed her for this?" Brennan came back to Kyle, angry that he one-upped her and kicked him in the stomach.

Booth walked over to them as he told her, "That's why."

Brennan pushed Kyle down more and grabbed his hands as she cuffed him, saying to Booth, "Yeah, well, I'll try to remember that for next time."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan had just dropped off Angela at her place as Brennan turned to Booth smiling softly. Booth smiled back at her and asked, "So, where to Bones?"

Brennan looked through the windshield and then back at him, "Let's go home and relax, Booth."

He nodded his head as he put the car in drive, "I can do that."

They had been driving, just holding hands silent, when Brennan looked at him and told him, "I love you Booth. You and your whole past. What you gave me just shows what kind of man you are."

Booth looked at her briefly, a little surprised by her sudden speech. "And what did I give you Bones?"

She smiled tenderly at him, "You gave me your heart – figuratively of course. You showed me that love isn't just hormones. You gave me a home. You saved me from myself Booth. And I love you very much for that."

Booth brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles and whispered against them, "We saved each other Bren. We saved each other."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's short is just I so much work to do at school I really don't have time to write.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 – The Skull in the Desert**

Booth was standing at Brennan's desk looking through some file when his cell phone rang, "Booth."

Brennan whispered in her phone, "How far are you from Dulles?"

Booth kept looking around her desk as he answered, "As far as your office is from Dulles."

Brennan was surprised to him say that. "Why are you in my office?"

He sighed in irritation. "I need your findings on the Richmond case. Listen, Zach, he won't tell me where they are unless you give him permission."

Brennan jumped right into the reason she was calling. "There's a 9:15 flight to Denver. Then there's an 11:35 flight to Santa Fe. You'll have to run to make the connection."

Booth loved that woman but there was no way he was going to go melt in some godforsaken desert. "Forget it."

Brennan sighed. Booth had been a little stunned when she had called him to let him know she was heading down to Dulles to help Angela with something for a few days. He was fine with that. It's not like he was her master and he could tell her 'No, you can't go.' Plus, Booth was busy with a case. However, now Brennan needed him. "Booth, please. Angela's boyfriend is missing, maybe dead. It…it took all of my charm… "

Booth murmured, "All of your charm? Oh, boy."

Brennan went on unfazed by his words. "Just to get the sheriff to let me look at the skull. When I asked him to let me send the skull to the Jeffersonian he told me that I am not a cop and that I don't have any jurisdiction."

Booth stopped his endeavors to find the file and gave her his full attention. "Which is true. Okay, what, what do you want me to do?"

Brennan told him honestly. "I want you to get federal on his ass."

Booth smiled broadly at her words. He knew that she loved that he was an FBI Agent, something about a man with a gun was very sexy to her. But he always loved to hear her say things like that. "Oh. I'll take the next flight out babe."

~BONES~

Angela walked into the living room, where Brennan was sleeping on a fold-out couch. Booth arrived with donuts and coffee walking up to the glass doors. Booth chuckled from outside the glass doors as Angela opened them for him. "Hey"

Angela smiled widely at him. "Hey." She brought him into a big hug, slightly clingy to him for support.

Booth hugged her back just as tightly, trying to make light of the whole situation as to why he was there. 'You know, people in the desert, don't have actual addresses. What's up with that?"

Brennan had stirred immediately when she heard her husband's voice. "Booth, you made it."

Booth had known it was going to be hot there. But man oh man, was it hot. "Yeah, I'm touring the hottest places in the universe. Next stop," he flung his bag onto Brennan's bed, "There you go…Hell."

Brennan glared at him. He knew she wasn't the best morning person and he was just doing it to get back at her for bringing him down there. Grabbing the duffel bag, annoyed, she told him, "I'm not really awake yet." She then threw the bag out of bed, rolling to her side as Angela sat down at the foot of the bed.

Booth put his sunglasses away as he picked up the coffee cups he got for the girls. He started to talk as he walked toward them, "Last night before I left, I used my F.B.I. powers to force the sheriff to send the skull back to the Jeffersonian. Talked to him this morning. You know, he seems a little resentful."

Brennan really hated the mornings, really hated them. She reached for her watch on the end table as Booth put down a coffee cup for her. "What time is it?"

Booth wanted to get this case solved before he died of heat stroke. "Let's go. Drink that on the way."

Brennan looked at him surprised that he already had someplace in mind to look at. "On the way where?"

Booth grabbed his own cup of coffee and took a sip of it before he answered. "You know, to go check out the model, guide, whatever's place."

Angela nodded her head in understanding. "Danni. Can I come with you?"

Booth looked at her sympathetically. "No, no, we can ask tougher questions if you're not there."

Brennan pointed out the door, realizing that Angela might find it odd that she was fine with Booth watching her change clothes. "Wait outside while I get dressed."

Booth didn't even think about Angela not knowing about them. He was just so used to them being in the lab or the Hoover Building that he was starting to let his guard down "No, uh uh. The sun's been up for an hour out there. It's already the surface of Mercury. And it's not like I haven't seen…" He trailed off though when he saw Brennan shake her head and then turned her gaze to Angela. He cleared his throat and said, "I can stand here, close my eyes, eat my doughnuts. Best I can do. Okay." He covered his eyes with one hand to demonstrate, then removes it to bite into a donut with his eyes still closed. He hoped that it would work.

Brennan looked to Angela hoping that she look irritated.

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth exited the SUV and walked toward a trailer as she asked him, "What tougher questions can we ask without Angela being here?"

Booth walked beside her and answered, "Well, you know, things like, did her boyfriend run off with the model, guide, whatever."

Brennan looked at through squinted eyes – she of course forgot her sunglasses and her hat on her bed. "Angela and I discussed this. She said it couldn't happen."

Booth snorted. "Okay, no offense to Angela, but she doesn't even really know this guy. She's only with him what, only three weeks out of the year?"

Brennan looked at him dryly, "No offense to you, but you are a stodgy traditionalist when it comes to relationships, buddy."

Booth stopped for a second as he looked at her. He then came behind her and grabbed her waist, bringing her up against him as they walked forward, "Stodgy? Stodgy? Okay, okay, here's the deal…"

Brennan laughed and slapped him playfully on his shoulder, "Yes, stodgy."

Booth slapped her on her ass gently and then let go of her as he knocked on the door. "Here's the deal, Bones. We find out that the skull isn't Kirk. We go home. We let the locals handle it, okay?"

Brennan was only down there for Angela and if it didn't turn out to be her friend's beau than why stay? "Of course."

Booth knocked again as he told her, "You know what? You say "Of course." But then you get all caught up in it. And then…" Brennan turned around and saw a man approaching them with a rifle and tapped Booth on his shoulder. He turned around say, "What?" He then saw what she saw and brought his hands up as he stepped in front of Brennan, trying to shield her if anything were to happen. "Oh." Damn the dessert.

~BONES~

The two of them were in Booth's SUV when Booth told her, "I will call the F.B.I. office in Albuquerque and I will officially take over the investigation."

Brennan shook her head. "I wouldn't do that."

Booth looked at her confused, "Why?"

Brennan told him, "Desert dwellers are very insular. Mongolians, Bedouins of the Sahara, the Himloa of Kanana. Good hosts, but extremely distrustful of outsiders."

Booth shook his head now at that idea. "Bones, this is the United State of America. It's not Outer Mongolia."

Brennan rationalized with him, "The only reason Sheriff Dawes talks to us at all is because we know Angela. Alex Joseph held a gun on us."

She did have a point there. Booth agreed, "I admit I've met friendlier people."

Brennan continued her explanation, "If a bunch of outsiders come in from Albuquerque, led by an outsider from D.C. I promise you, the people here will close ranks and shut up until we go away. Then they'll take care of it in their own way."

Booth looked at her amused with her thought process, "Okay, who are you, Dr. Phil?"

Brennan didn't know what that meant. "Who's Dr. Phil? Some kind of expert?"

Booth snorted at that. "He likes to think so. Okay, look. I'll take what you say under advisement. In the meantime, we need to go find out who supplied Kirk with his peyote."

Brennan had no clue how they'd do that. Danni was missing and Alex wasn't talking to them. "Well, how are we gonna do that?"

Booth looked down the road and told her quietly, "Talk to his girlfriend." They both knew that this was going to be hard, on all of them.

~BONES~

Brennan nodded her head as Angela told her she would help look for Danni. She gently squeezed her hand as Booth came out of the bathroom from his shower, towel drying his hair in a pair of shorts and one of his Flyers t-shirts. "Hey, we'll head out first thing in the morning."

The two women nodded their heads as Brennan told Booth, "Angela is coming as well. She wants to help find Danni."

He wasn't surprised by that at all. "Yeah, sure. The more help the better. We should all go to bed now though. We'll need our rest."

Angela nodded her head again, numbly. "Okay. Booth you can take the bed, I'll sleep out here with Brennan."

Both Brennan and Booth made a sound of protest as Booth spoke their thoughts, "Ange, I'm fine with sleep out here. I'll take the couch. You go sleep in that bed of yours. You need it more than I do."

Angela was about to protest again, but Brennan squeezed her hand and told her, "Really Ange, you should sleep in your own bed. We'll figure something out. Your exhausted, go sleep."

Angela stood up slowly, not really in the mood to put up an effort to fight them on it. She just really wanted this all to be over. "Okay, I'll see you guys in the morning." She moved through the house and into the bedroom, closing the door silently behind her.

Brennan and Booth looked at each other for a few seconds before the moved simultaneously toward each other. Booth took off his shirt and handed it to her. Over the years her actual sleeping wear became scant, consisting mostly of his older t-shirts. While he hardly ever slept with a shirt on. "Here Bones, I know how much you hate sleeping in your tank-tops."

She smiled warmly at him as she unknotted her robe and let it slide down her body, revealing her nakedness to Booth. He admired her quietly as she pulled his shirt over her head, the only thing she was wearing were some cotton panties. He knew that they couldn't do anything, so he tried to keep chaste things in mind – reciting the saints in his head. Brennan walked up to him and grabbed his hand as she led him to their bed. Booth watched her as she tucked herself in with a loving smile on his face. She looked at him through sleepy eyes and whispered, "Booth, come to bed."

He gently climbed into bed and rolled on his back. Brennan rolled to her side and scooted over to his side as she rested her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her body and rested his hand on her waist. He was just falling asleep when he heard Brennan whisper to him, "I'm glad that I have you one hundred percent of the time. I love you very much."

Booth placed a soft kiss on the crown of her head as he whispered back, "I love you too Bones." He felt her burrow herself deeper into his side, ever amazed that she loved snuggling with him. He felt her breathing even out, the soft sound of her breathing lulling him to sleep.

Booth was startled awake by the alarm on his watch. He brought his hand over Brennan's body and pressed the alarm off, not wanting to wake up Brennan. It was barely 5:00 AM and he knew it was going to be a long day. He slowly untangled himself from Bones and slid out of the bed. He heard her protest slightly, but she soon settled down when she found his pillow and buried her head in it. Booth quietly made his way to the couch and laid down again, hoping to get at least some more sleep before their actual alarm went off at 7:00. Damn them for having to hide their marriage from Angela.

~BONES~

Angela, Brennan, and Booth were walking through the desert as Brennan held up her cell phone looking for a signal, "No cell phone service, no water. How long do you think we'll survive out here if the sheriff doesn't come back?"

Booth didn't even have to think about it. His many years in the army taught him how to survive. "Three days max."

Angela looked at him worried, "How far are we from the highway?"

Again Booth didn't need to think about it. "Five days minimum."

Brennan looked at him, now completely worried. "I don't like that math."

Angela had been scanning the area for anything when she spotted a broken SUV, "Wait a second."

Booth looked at the SUV and asked, "Kirk's?"

Angela squinted a little before she answered, "It looks like it, yeah."

They came up to the SUV and Booth lifted the hood as he looked at the engine, "Yep, the distributor's smashed. All the wires are pulled out."

Brennan cocked her head in confusion, "It doesn't make sense that the sheriff brings us to the scene of the crime and then leaves us to die, does it?"

Booth hated it when he didn't have his SUV. And this was one of the many reasons why. "One godforsaken part of the desert, is just as good as another godforsaken part of the desert. We don't even know if Sheriff Dawes actually called Alex Joseph. I mean, for all we know, he could have done all this himself."

Brennan looked at Ange and asked her seriously, "Could Dawes do that, Ange?"

Angela shook her head. She knew these people; she at least hoped she did. "Well, I always thought Ben Dawes was a good man. It would take a lot to change my mind."

Brennan started to stand up as she said, "Like being left to die in the desert?"

Booth was looking out on the desert ground as he took notice of tire tracks, "These tracks here, they don't match the sheriff's vehicle. Too wide."

Brennan threw out the idea, "Humvee maybe?" She then too noticed something else on some rocks. She pointed to a boulder smeared with something red. "This is blood, I think." She began to think of the scenario, "The victim was kneeling here."

Angela looked away, sick with the idea that this was where Kirk was murdered. Booth saw her reaction and whispered to Brennan, "Bones."

Brennan looked at Angela, seeing her discomfort. "Sorry." She walked over to Booth and whispered to him as she showed him, "He was dragged this way. Then the blood trail ends."

Booth nodded his head. It made sense. "He was thrown into the Humvee."

Brennan didn't understand it though. "We've gotta be 200 miles from where we found Kirk's bones. You think the murderer drove that far to drop the body." Booth put on his glasses as he thought about something. He took off running down the trail following the tracks, with Brennan yelling, "Where are you going? Booth? Hey…" She ran after him as they came to the end of the tracks.

He pointed to the ground and said, "The tracks stop right here."

Brennan looked around and saw nothing but desert. It still didn't make any sense. "What 'here'? There's no 'here' here."

Booth looked on both sides as he stated, "Landing strip, huh? I knew this was about drugs. Mexico's about 80 miles that way." Booth pointed down the landing strip, "They just…" Booth turned around as he heard a car honk. Sheriff Dawes pulled up his truck with Angela in the front passenger seat. Booth looked heavenward and whispered a happy, "Oh! Yes!" He was so happy he wanted to kiss his wife. But that wouldn't be a good idea considering who would see them. Damn.

Brennan smiled at her friend. "Only Angela could get a ride in the middle of nowhere."

~BONES~

Angela looked at pictures of herself and Kirk when Brennan came in. "Ready to go home?"

Angela looked up and smiled sadly, "Yeah."

Brennan sat on the couch next to Angela as she whispered to her, "You're not coming back again, are you?"

Angela looked back down at the photos. "No. Never." She looked at Brennan in the eyes and told her honestly, "He loved me."

Brennan smiled softly at her, "For three weeks a year."

Angela couldn't take it anymore. The past few days all came to her as she started to breakdown a little. "No. He loved me all the time. I was the one who could only manage three weeks a year. I'm afraid that I…I'm just afraid that I don't have a generous heart. I'm afraid that I won't have the chance that I had with Kirk ever again."

Brennan grabbed her hand as she told her, "You will."

Angela couldn't believe that Brennan was telling her that she would love someone again like she loved Kirk. "How can you be so sure?"

Brennan thought back to her own past. She too, had thought that she could never have a family again. Someone that loved her unconditionally, forever. "Because nothing in this universe happens just once, Angela. Nothing. Infinity goes in both directions. There is no unique event, no singular moment."

Angela shrugged and laughed at her friend's words. The irony that Brennan was giving her love advice and she didn't understand it. "I don't know what that means."

Brennan squeezed her hand and told her, "It means you will get another chance."

Angela asked her desperately, "You promise?" Brennan lightly nodded. Angela needed to know though where it was coming from. "From your heart?"

Brennan shook her head slightly. "Better. From my head. And yes, Ange. I promise…" She brought Angela into a tight hug as she whispered, "From my heart. You will get another chance."

Booth came into the place as he told them the good news, "Well, Dawes and his deputies, they caught the counterfeiters. Danni gave a statement saying that it was Kellogg who pulled the trigger on Kirk. Danni knows that you saved her life. You pointed that helicopter in the right direction."

Brennan thought about how they could have found Danni and said aloud, "Obviously, you subconsciously sifted through the rational facts of the case and processed the most likely scenario."

Angela smiled knowingly and nodded her head as she playfully agreed with her best friend, "I'm sure that's it."

Booth tried to hide his smile as he agreed with them, "Yeah, what else could it be?"

Angela smiled even wider. It felt good to joke around. "Well it's the only rational explanation."

Brennan had been looking between the two of them when it dawned on her. "Are you guys making fun of me?"

Booth and Angela shared a smile and turned it on Brennan. Booth sighed in relief that they were heading back. "You know, let's go back home, where there's water, shelter, and living things. Come on!" Brennan followed Booth out of the bungalow where he gently pulled her by her waist into his side. He whispered in her ear proudly, "You did good Bones. What you said back there, you did good." He had come up to the door when he overheard their heart to heart. He didn't want to break it up, when Angela needed it so badly. Yet what he heard Bones say made his heart swell with pride. She had such a big heart and she didn't even realize it. He loved that woman.

Brennan looked at him shocked to hear that he overheard their conversation. A slow smile spread on her face though, when she realized that her people skills were improving. "Thanks Booth."


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 – The Man with the Bone**

Booth pushed open double doors as he and Brennan entered the FBI morgue. Booth was whistling as they saw a slender man sporting wire-rimmed glasses, a long white lab coat and a bow tie who was standing at a light board, examining several x-rays. Booth nodded hello and Harry turned to greet him with a handshake. "Agent Booth."

Booth shook his hand and gestured to Brennan, "Harry Tepper, meet Dr. Temperance Brennan from the Jeffersonian."

Harry studied her approvingly and told Booth creepily, "I've read her."

Brennan nodded her head, not knowing how to take the man. "Hello."

Harry smiled at Booth, "She's good." Booth nodded as Harry turned back to Brennan. "Read your novel too… The heroine's very aggressive."

Booth did not like that man, but he remained expressionless as he said in a warning tone, "Harry. You wanna…," he gestured with his head, so all three turned and walked toward the exam table, Harry leading the way. "Okay, everybody, meet Ted Macy. Body was found in a national park. Local coroner wrote it off as some kind of an accidental drowning, but you see we have to investigate every death on federal land."

Harry told them dryly, "During my examination, I found he had a crushed larynx. That didn't seem accidental."

Brennan looked at the body and them up at Booth, "This is a corpse. With skin."

Harry said sarcastically, "She is good."

Brennan ignored the man and told Booth, "Why am I here? You know I don't work with skin."

Booth brought his hands up trying to talk down the impending anger, "Relax, Bones, I didn't bring you here to examine the body. I want you to see what they found in his hand." He turned to Harry, who was studying the body not paying attention to Booth. Booth's tone turned a touch impatient as he said, "Harry. Bone?"

Harry walked over to a counter and retrieved a specimen jar, marked with red tape and filled with solution. Brennan looked at the jar, stunned, "What is that?"

Harry told her in a condescending tone, "It's a phalanx. Finger bone." He turned to Booth as he told him, "Figured she'd know that."

Brennan was pissed off. "Yeah, I'd figure any competent medical examiner would know not to compromise evidence." She took the container from him and held it up. "Is this Lysol I.C.?"

Harry crossed his arms over his chest as he told her annoyed, "We use it to decontaminate remains."

Brennan was livid now. She quickly drained the jar of its solution in order to rescue the bone. "Are you trying to break down the periosteal surface of the bone? Wreak havoc on the marrow? Did you even dilute this?"

Booth didn't like Harry but he also knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Brennan's anger. He tried to smooth things over, "Bones."

Brennan looked up at him with fire in her eyes. "What!" Booth backed away. He was not going to get his head bit off for that man. Brennan dumped the phalanx out and tucked it into an evidence bag. She glared at Harry as she said, "You've removed particulates and trace elements that could potentially lead us to his killer. Is this your first day on the job?"

Harry's eyes bugged and his voice became haughty and deliberate, "Eighteen years next month."

Brennan gave Booth a look and stormed from the room with the evidence bag, slamming the door behind her. Booth stood there for and looked at Harry apologetically. "Eighteen years."

Harry was looking at the door that Brennan just went out of. A wide smile grew on his face as he said, "She's intense."

Booth wisely decided not to say anything about that and more importantly do anything. He turned around and walked away. That man made his skin crawl a little too much.

~BONES~

Brennan turned to Harry after giving the container to Hodgins, "I'd like to look at X-rays of the victim's skeleton."

Harry smirked as he said to no one in particular, "Bossy."

Booth held up a warning finger at Harry. That was his breaking point. Booth knew other men thought of Brennan like that, but he didn't need to hear about it. "Do NOT go there."

Hodgins looked at the sediments as he said, "In the interests of being thorough, I need to determine if he died at the top, or died at the bottom and … floated up. I need silt abstracts from both levels."

Booth walked over to him as he told him, "Fine. We'll get those for you."

Hodgins looked up as he shook his head and said a little too eagerly, "No, no. No, the soil looks like an odd mixture of clay, plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene. I really wouldn't trust anyone else to harvest the samples properly."

Brennan was no fool. A tiny smile appeared on her face as she said, "You just wanna look for treasure." Booth nodded his head too, smirking.

Hodgins scoffed, trying to be serious, "Wha – ? I am a serious scientist … merely trying to do my job as well as possible."

Booth squinted at Hodgins as he had a hint of a challenge in his voice, "That shaft is over two hundred feet deep, you know. Requires an experienced diver."

Hodgins said confidently, "I am a certified cave diver, which means I can go deeper than two hundred feet. I dove Mayan Blue, Dos Ojos, Tortuga …"

Booth raised his eyebrows impressed by that, but Brennan's expression was immovable and serious, "Ever dive Navarone?"

Hodgins shrugged, "Once."

Brennan smirked as she told him, "I named Navarone."

Hodgins smiled, oh yeah he would definitely get to dive. "Well, then how can you say no to me?"

Brennan considered it for a moment. "Okay. But just to collect soil samples."

Hodgins was elated. "Of course."

Booth smiled knowingly at his memory of that vacation they took together. Well it was more a vacation for him and work for her, but it still was amazing. He whispered in her ear, "That was an amazing trip."

Brennan smiled, "Yeah, it definitely was." She and Booth headed for the stairs again, passing Harry who had a look of fantasy on his face.

Harry was wide-eyed as he looked at Brennan. "You wear a rubber suit then."

Booth lifted another finger of warning at Harry, trying to stop that dangerous train of thought. "Whoa."

~BONES~

Brennan was standing in front of Dr. Goodman, stretching to her full height, angrily getting in his face. She was pissed to say the least. "Bones don't just disappear. I thought this was a secure facility. YOU assured me this was a secure facility. I could be working at Stanford, you know." She started to storm off, with Goodman following her as she continued, "This never would've happened at Stanford!"

Goodman sighed dramatically. "We spend three-quarters of a million dollars annually on security."

Brennan turned back to face him again as she spat out, "Obviously that's not enough. I want my bones!" Booth was at the bottom of the stairs, swiping his ID badge and jogging up the steps to the platform as Brennan turned to get in his face now, "Did you find my bones?"

Booth knew when Bones was mad and boy, oh boy was she beyond mad. He held his hands up in a defensive position, "Oooh, maybe you just wanna, you know, chill a little?"

Brennan couldn't believe that Booth was taking this violation so lightly. Her bones were stolen! "Chill?"

Booth nodded, trying to cool her down. "Yeah, you know, take a pill?"

Brennan wasn't sure how to react to that. So she said, mocking Booth's biased tone, "Listen, duuude … my lab was violated, my bones are stolen, so I think I'll remain warm for a little while longer."

Angela joined the other three as she too tried to talk Brennan off the ledge, "Honey, maybe you should focus on your breathing."

Booth shrugged in casual agreement, trying to help calm Brennan down. "Breathing."

Angela offered, "Count to ten."

Booth nodded his head, trying to make Brennan see that she was over-reacting a little bit. "Ten."

Angela even offered her the best choice, "Have a shot of Jack."

Booth smiled at that option. "Shot of Jack." Brennan rolled her eyes at him. She could see now that she might have been a little too zealous about her bones as Booth squeezed her arm in a reassuring manner. "Look, we're doing everything that we can, okay? I promise you, we're gonna find your bones, but you have to allow us to do our job."

Brennan took a breath and stepped back mentally from the situation. "I guess I wasn't … helping all that much, was I? I'm – I'm –"

Ange prompted her as she smiled, "Sorry. It's cool."

Booth clapped his hands together, happy to see that another angry Brennan was avoided, and smiled as he said, "Hey, look on the bright side. I mean, this whole theft thing could be good for us, right? I mean, whoever took the bones obviously had something to do with the murder. We're gettin' closer." Brennan looked at him dryly. Yeah, okay maybe she wasn't over it that much yet.

~BONES~

Hardewicke's dead body was on the table as Harry stood before Booth and Brennan, his hands folded in front of him. "The larynx was crushed."

Brennan frowned at his conclusions. That couldn't possibly be right, "Is that going to be your cause of death ruling?"

Harry grinned and said excitedly, "We gonna have another fight about this?"

Brennan stepped forward ready to punch the guy, so Booth stepped between them trying to save the man some pain and authoritatively poked Harry in the chest. "You know, I'm a pretty open guy, Harry, but if you keep pushing like that, it's gonna be me who smacks you around."

Harry smirked slightly and said, "How do you know that won't work for me just as well?"

Booth looked unsettled by that twist – he made a wide-eyed face, stepping back and away from Harry as quickly as possible. That was just wrong. Brennan stepped up to face Harry again. "You ruled that Macy died from a crushed larynx."

Harry's tone was condescending, as if it was obvious as he said, "A crushed larynx is fatal. Ergo, it results in death."

Brennan told him bluntly, "You were wrong then, and you're wrong now."

Harry smiled widely and Booth couldn't take it. He pointed at Harry as he said agitatedly, "See? He likes it!"

Brennan ignored both of them and their antics. She could take care of herself. "I need to see both sets of x-rays. His and Macy's."

Harry's eyes twinkled as he reached down and retrieved the x-rays from their folder. "It's not always about being right or wrong. It's about the dialogue. An intense conversation can be the most wonderful kind of intercourse."

Booth was definitely grossed out now. He looked to Brennan and stepped behind her to block Harry's view of her as he said, "You know what? This guy is a pervert."

Brennan compared the spinal injury films for both Hardewicke and Macy. "Damage between C-2 and C-4, forty-five degree angle, exact same pattern of injury as Macy. His head was," Brennan reached over and grabbed Harry by the head, demonstrating the hold the murderer used – Harry looked like he enjoyed her being so rough with him, "wrenched around, probably while the other hand crushed the larynx." Brennan pushed against his chin, twisting him slightly, as she held the back of his head.

Harry grinned from ear to ear as he said, "That must really frustrate you that I missed that."

Booth thought about the new information now, not even pay notice to Harry's look of delight. "You know, that's a special forces move – take the sentry down, crush the larynx so he can't scream."

Brennan looked at Booth concerned. She asked him tentatively, "You've done that to people?"

Booth glanced down a moment, he'd never done it before but he'd seen it used and he knew how to do it as well. "No, our murderer is special forces." That troubled Booth the most. Who were they dealing with?

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan exited the SUV. Booth walked slowly around the truck, his eyes glued to the platform as he whispered to Bones, "Guy was a navy SEAL."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what the meant. Once again she mistakenly said the wrong word, "So? You were a guide-ranger person."

Booth stopped to correct her, "A ranger. I was a ranger, Bones, okay? I was not a guide. Guides, they show you waterfalls, they sell you cookies. I was a ranger."

Brennan nodded her head. She looked up to the platform and asked, "What's he doing at the shaft?" She started to move forward, but Booth grabbed her arm to stop her. "Are rangers afraid of SEALs?"

Booth scoffed at that thought. "What? Come on, Bones. No. Wha – rangers aren't afraid of anybody. All right?" He paused for a second and conceded quietly, "SEALs are … pretty good though."

Booth and Brennan reached the top of the platform and Booth casually called out, "Hey, Dane."

Dane looked up and said just as casually, "Oh hey, what's up?"

Brennan stepped forward and said, "We know it was you."

Booth saw Dane's expression shift, the smile leaving his face. Booth also knew that that was the biggest mistake Bones just made. "Bones, please."

Brennan looked at him confused at his stern tone. "Why? You have a gun. What's he got?"

Booth kept his eyes on Dane as he told her, "He's got somebody in the shaft."

Hodgins' voice came through the speaker, "How far down am I?"

Brennan realized what she'd done when she heard his voice over the speaker. She asked a little panicky, "Is that Hodgins?" Her eyes widened and she stepped forward. Dane immediately grabbed a section of the air hose and held a knife to it.

Hodgins' voice once again carried over the speaker, "Hey, Dane?" Booth pulled his gun and pointed it at Dane who sat poised with the knife, unmoving. "I can't read my depth display." Hodgins waited a few seconds for a response and then said, "Hey, is something going on?" Brennan was frozen in place, looking to the speaker in fear for her friend. What had she done? "Is there anybody up there? Why don't you answer me?"

Booth spoke in a controlled voice, "C.P.O. McGinnis, step away from the air hose." He still had his gun on Dane, but Dane's eyes weren't leaving Booth's and his knife was still pressed to the air hose.

Dane smirked slightly. "Yeah? Well, I need you to toss that gun into the shaft. And toss me your keys. And handcuff yourselves to that crane. I take your truck. Otherwise, I am gonna cut this hose, and your buddy's gonna die."

Brennan nervously patted Booth in the ribs with the back of her hand, her eyes on Dane's knife. "Yeah. Do that."

Booth gritted his teeth and glanced at her for a millisecond, "Bones." He knew that she was terrified for Hodgins, but she needed to trust him. He looked back to Dane, gun still trained, as he told him, "Not gonna happen."

Hodgins' voice came through the speaker again, "If you can hear me, tug on the air hose. I feel a blast of cold water. It's either a spring or some kind of conduit from the ocean. It's clear, clean water, so visibility is better."

Booth held his position. "You killed two men. I can't just let you drive away."

Dane sneered bitterly, "Oh, those guys. Puttin' fake bones in there, makin' the whole thing into a con job. My brother died down there looking for that treasure. A lot of good men did. This was their life. Those men dishonored them."

Hodgins' voice came through the speaker, "Dane, can you hear me, man? I am on the bottom."

Dane squinted at Booth, trying to read him. "You good enough to take that shot before I cut this air hose, ranger?"

Booth smirked, "Pretty good."

Brennan didn't know what to do. But that response scared her because Booth was more than pretty good. "What? Pretty good? Booth…"

Booth whispered urgently, "Please. I'm working." He looked at her for a brief second hoping that she gets what he was trying to do before they focused back on Dane.

Hodgins' voice crackled in again, "I'm gonna need some more slack in the line, Dane. What's goin' on? I'll get a sample. I can see where the shaft wall has collapsed before. Oh, my God. Holy sh– Damn! Can you see this, Dane?"

Brennan leaned forward to view the monitor, where Hodgins' hand was holding up a shiny gold coin. Dane wasn't about to give Booth an opening to shoot him, so he asked, "What is it?"

Booth smirked a little, "Why don't you take a look?"

Dane had a wry expression on his face as he said, "Yeah. I do and you'll shoot me."

Hodgins' voice crackled through the speakers with excitement, "Dane! Can you see this, man?"

Brennan's eyes stayed on the monitor as she said, "It's a gold coin."

Dane couldn't believe it. "Yeah." He thought about it for a second though and then became upset, "It's, uh, probably something else they stole from the museum and threw in there."

Hodgins nearly yelled, "This is real! It's a big…"

Booth fired twice, blasting out the computer monitor and all sound connection to Hodgins. He immediately retrained his weapon on Dane. Brennan now saw why Booth had done that. She firmly said to Dane, "You want to see it, you're going to have to bring Hodgins up. Please. He's down there because he believes." She was Dane's brow furrow but he didn't move, so she tried again, "He's no different than you, no different than your brother."

Booth's voice was intense, his gun hand ready for anything, as he commanded Dane, "Bring him up."

Brennan pleaded with him gently, "Do it for your brother."

Dane considered it for a long moment, an expression of struggle on his face. Booth was waiting, gun aimed. At last, Dane made a choice and yanked the knife away from the hose. Frustrated, he pushed the hose down into the water, and held the knife aloft, glaring at Booth. Brennan was still frozen in place, her hands outstretched in a defensive position, waiting to see what Dane would do next. Booth didn't lower his gun either. Agonized, Dane took his knife and thrusted it downward, violently stabbing it into the grid next to his foot. Booth didn't wait any longer as he walked over to Dane and cuffed him, telling him his rights. Booth nodded to Brennan to bring Hodgins back up as he brought Dane down to his waiting car.

After back-up came and took Dane into custody, Booth waited by the SUV for his wife. Brennan finally came over to him, after having helped Hodgins come out of the tunnel. She really didn't care who saw them though because she immediately hugged Booth tightly.

Booth was a little surprised when he felt her arms around his body, but he too hugged her back. He heard her whisper, "Thank you Booth. You saved Hodgins."

Booth squeezed her a little more and kissed the crown of her head. "We saved him, Bones. You and I saved him, as a team." And a team they would stay.

* * *

I'm trying really hard to keep up (Keep Posting)


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 – The Man in the Morgue**

Brennan was being examined by a doctor. She had been cleaned up and was wearing a hospital gown as the examined, "Looks like someone stole your earring. Ripped it right out of the lobe."

Brennan didn't like the feeling she was having. She didn't remember anything. "I don't know what happened to me."

The doctor tried to alleviate her worries, "It's a tough town. We don't have that many cops anymore and, uh…" Detective Harding entered the examination room without knocking interrupting the doctor as he turned and saw her, "They were never that good to begin with."

Detective Harding smiled dryly at the doctor, "You shouldn't insult the ones that stuck around."

Brennan looked at the detective and told her honestly, "Detective Harding, I didn't know who else to call."

Detective Harding turned around and saw her pile of clothes on a table. She told the doctor, "I need blood samples on this clothing." She then turned to Brennan, "Maybe we'll get lucky and they won't all come from you. Still hazy on the details?"

Brennan sighed in frustration. "I'm not hazy on the details. I...I don't remember anything."

Detective Harding raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

Brennan thought back to the days events. "Um, Dr. Legiere knocking over a tray of instruments at the morgue. Then…mm...nothing."

Detective Harding looked at her skeptically, "That was the day before yesterday."

Brennan nodded and said quietly, "I requested a rape kit."

The doctor reassured them both, "No sign of sexual activity forced or otherwise."

The door opened and Booth rushed in heading straight for Brennan. A nurse was behind him trying to stop him. He was too worried about Brennan to be stopped though.

The nurse stammers out, "Sir, sir, you can't go in there."

Booth shrugged her off as he looks over his wife's injuries. "Bones, you okay?"

Brennan sighed and told Booth exasperated, "Booth, I told you not to come."

Detective Harding looked at the man in front of her and asked, "Who's this?"

Brennan didn't know how to answer that. Tell the truth or not. "He's FBI. We're…partners."

Detective Harding smirked at that wording. "Guy flies down from D.C.? You're more than 'partners'."

Booth brushed off Detective Harding's comment. He was anxious to see how Brennan was. He said to the detective, "Yeah, that's great." He then turned to Brennan and asked, "You remember anything?"

Brennan sighed again. "The tray falling over."

Booth turned to the doctor concerned at how little Brennan remembers. "Why can't she remember anything?"

The doctor told him, "Well, it could be the head injury."

Brennan listed her injuries to him, to try and alleviate his worries. "Hairline stress fracture on my right distal radius, concussion, slight fever, torn earlobe. I lost one of my favorite earrings." She pulled the only earring left off of her ear and showed it to Booth. It was obvious he was distressed and concerned about Brennan, but he also knew that the earring was her mother's too.

Booth whispered gently, soothingly to her, "You're worried about an earring? You should really be worried about losing a whole day."

Brennan leaned into him a little, happy that he was there with her – even though she would never say it aloud. "I know. It's stupid. But these earrings were my mother's."

Booth whispered an, 'I know', as the doctor explained to them, "Amnesia caused by any traumatic event, injury or drug, can erase memories before the event, not just after."

Booth placed his hand on her shoulders as he looked at the doctor. "Great, we'll just wait for a tox screen."

The doctor smiled sadly at him. "It's gonna be at least 24 hours."

Booth did not like that one bit. He said angrily, "24 hours?"

The doctor offered helplessly, "Well, most of the labs in the area were destroyed by the hurricane."

Detective Harding intervened and told him, "We'll find out what happened. You just take care of your…uh…partner."

Booth was barely hanging on to his temper. He had gotten a call from a New Orleans hospital telling him his wife was admitted with amnesia and trauma. Thankfully he had already been at the airport waiting for her to fly in. He had booked the first flight out and now there he was. He clenched his jaw and focused on Brennan. He reached up and with a bent finger under her chin forced her to look at him so he could look at her injuries. Whoever did this to her would pay, big time.

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth were sitting at a two-top table in front of the window. Brennan was looking at a menu and Booth was playing with a spice shaker as they talked. Booth asked her again, "All right, so what is the last thing that you do remember?"

Brennan was becoming frustrated at her lack of memory. "I told you, Graham, Dr. Legiere, knocked over a tray of surgical instruments."

Booth nodded his head. That was something he could look into. "I want to talk to Legiere."

Brennan tried to remember something else and offered up, "We must've been about to examine John Doe 361."

The chef of the restaurant, Peter LaSalle, came over to the table surprised to see Brennan. "Dr. Brennan? I thought you were leaving today."

Brennan smiled and tried to avoid the question. "Peter, this is my husband, Seeley Booth."

Booth and Peter shook hands, as Peter took noticed of Brennan's injuries. "My God. What happened to you?"

Brennan sighed again. "I'm not certain, but the bruising suggests Tuesday night."

Peter was surprised to hear that. "After you left here?"

Brennan looked at him confused. "I was here Tuesday?"

Booth leaned forward. Any information was better than no information. "What time?"

Peter thought about it for a second and told them, "In at 8:00, left at 9:00. Don't you remember? You had dinner with Sam Potter."

Brennan had a flash back of eating with Sam. She looked at nothing in particular with a dazed face as she remembered these images. Booth became concerned with that expression. "Bones? Bones?"

Brennan snapped out of her daze and looked at Booth, telling him urgently, "We have to go back to the morgue. Talk to Sam." She got up to leave the restaurant.

However Booth stopped her by grabbing her hand and asked, "Who's Sam?"

Brennan looked out the window as she tried to piece together her ne found memories. "He's an orderly. He...he practices voodoo." Brennan started to leave again as she slipped her arm out of Booth's hand. She was already out of the door when Booth got up, gave a goodbye wave to Peter and followed her calling out, "Bones, wait up."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan came up to Graham's house as Booth told Bones, "I tried to get in touch with him."

She nodded her head as she remembered something, "He was scheduled to be out in the field this week." Brennan opened the door and entered the house, followed by Booth. She called to Graham as she entered, "Graham? It's Temperance."

Booth looked around and whispered to her, "What if he's not here?"

Brennan too looked around told him, "Well, he's probably asleep. He's been working nights. Graham? Graham?"

Booth bent over her shoulder and tried to make a joke as he saw a bag of graham crackers, "Cracker."

Brennan glared at him as she said trying to hold back a laugh, "Hey, that's not funny. I think he invited me to dinner that night or drinks. I can't remember."

Booth nodded his head as he looked around some more. "Mm-hmm. You know what? Maybe he 'roofied' you. Since you wouldn't sleep with him."

Brennan reasoned with Booth, she didn't like to think that Graham would actually do that. "I'm sure he bought the black gum root to look into its medicinal qualities."

Booth snorted softly. She always saw the best in strangers. "Yeah, because we all know how effective that is."

Brennan walked around the room looking at everything and anything, hoping to trigger a memory as she says, "Voodoo healing is quite effective. No crazier than acupuncture or exorcism."

Booth walked into another room as he tried to defend his religion, "Hey, hey, easy on the Catholics. Okay? Just easy." Booth turned around and saw something, "Bones?" Brennan turned around and came up to him as he pointed into the next room where a blanket was tossed over a full-length mirror. Brennan remembered something and looked toward the upstairs. She turned toward the steps and started to walk to them. Booth watched her as if she was in a trance and mumbled, "Here we go again." Brennan climbed the stairs as Booth called after her and followed her, "Bones!"

Brennan was moving down the hall seemingly looking for something while flashes of memory bombarded her. She was still moving down the hallway as more memories came back. She saw a room down the hall with the door slightly ajar and stopped there. Booth came up to her and asked softly, "You okay?"

Brennan didn't feel good anymore. "Something bad happened here." She was still staring at the door, almost like she was paralyzed. She whispered, "And I got away."

Booth moved forward toward the door as Brennan stood still. After a few seconds she followed him into the room. Booth slowly opened the door, as they both entered the room. They see a mirror and the reflection of Graham Legiere's body crucified on the opposite wall. Booth and Brennan turned toward the wall and see Graham hanging there. He was staked to the wall by his wrists. It looked like he was disemboweled and a large knife or possibly another stake was stuck in his chest. There was blood dripping down the wall and pooled on the floor. There was a mojo bag hanging around his neck as well. Both of them stared at it in shock. Booth looked back at Bones and said, "Oh, yeah. Something bad." What had happened there?

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were waiting down the hall near the top of the stairs as Detective Harding approached them. "What exactly were you doing here?"

Brennan only wanted to know one thing. "It's Graham, isn't it?"

Detective Harding was angry now. "Tell you what, Dr. Brennan, I'm going to ask the questions."

Booth couldn't believe that this detective actually thought Bones would kill someone! "Oh, come on, Detective. She was working with the guy."

Detective Harding narrowed her eyes. "How closely?"

Brennan took a step back as Booth placed a protective hand on her waist, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Detective Harding didn't have time for this. "Answer my question, please. What brought you here? Was it a social call? Business? Revenge killing?"

Booth brought Brennan even closer to him, sensing where Harding was going with the line of questioning. "Look, Legiere bought some black gum root from the voodoo store. We just stopped by to ask why."

Detective Harding didn't know whether to believe him or not. "Why?"

Brennan thought that was a dumb question. If they knew they wouldn't have come there. "That's what we came here to ask."

Detective Harding glared at Brennan and told her curtly, "You wanna look behind me and remind yourselves why I'm a little low on sense of humor."

Brennan looked at her and then at Booth confused and back at her again. "Wuh, that wasn't a joke."

Booth tried to explain, "Oh, no, she's not wisecracking. She just tends to be a bit literal."

Brennan told the detective, "Day before yesterday, I showed a voodoo expert a mojo that Graham found lodged in the mouth of John Doe 361." While Brennan was talking to Harding, Booth looked on the floor and saw Brennan's lost earring by the leg of a hall table. He didn't say anything to either Brennan or Harding that he's seen it though.

Detective Harding was definitely becoming skeptical about all this now. "This, uh, voodoo consultation, did it occur before or after amnesia."

Booth became defensive at that insinuation, "Look, the amnesia's real."

Brennan nodded her head and she told them what they found out. "Graham purchased a rare ingredient at a voodoo shop on Pontchartrain Ave."

A police officer entered the hall from the bedroom and came up behind Detective Harding while she spoke, "So Graham made voodoo spells, shoved them into corpses' mouths, then pretended to be surprised when he found them?"

Booth saw that the policewoman had something in her hands. "What's that?"

The officer directed her attention to Harding as she said, "Ma'am?" Harding turned her back to Booth and Brennan to examine was the policewoman has brought. Brennan moved closer to get a better look leaving Booth alone and unnoticed. He bent down while they're talking, picked up Brennan's earring and put it in his pocket.

Detective Harding examined the evidence and said, "Split cast, huh? More voodoo. Just like the symbol on the wall? Bag it as evidence."

Brennan asked, "Secte Rouge?"

Harding turned back to Brennan. Booth, with the earring safely in his pocket, stepped forward and joined them as Harding asked, "What do you know about Secte Rouge?"

Booth didn't wait to answer that question. They were done with this. "If you're done with us, Detective, we're going to go." He took Brennan's arm and began to drag her toward the stairs.

Harding's words stopped them though, "I'm gonna tear this place apart. If I find one piece of evidence that ties you to this scene, I will take you into custody."

Brennan looked at shocked to hear her say that. "Wait, do you really think that someone could go into a trance, commit a murder like that, and not remember it?"

Detective Harding shook her head. "No, I don't. But I sure as hell think someone can fake amnesia."

Booth gave the detective a dry look as he told her, "That's great. Thank you, Detective."

~BONES~

Brennan lead Booth inside her suite as he asked, "So, do you remember anything else that could help us out?"

Brennan shook her head as she thought about what Harding said. "It could have been me."

Booth looked at her as she walked toward the bed. "Do you remember that?"

Brennan sighed. Of course she didn't but that didn't mean anything. "Look at it objectively. Graham Legiere was killed between 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and 3:00 a.m. Wednesday. Not only do I not have an alibi, I...I can't even explain to myself where I was. It could've been me."

Booth chuckled. Bones was trying to incriminate herself for something he absolutely knew she couldn't do. "No, it couldn't."

Brennan looked at him, surprised. "Yes. Wha...how do you know?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I just know, okay babe? I'd bet my professional career on it." He then mumbled, "I already did."

Brennan didn't hear that last part, but she knew it was important because whenever Booth knew something she didn't and it was important and it would get him in trouble he mumbled. "What?"

Booth waved it off. "Nothing."

Brennan narrowed her eyes. "What did you do, Seeley?"

Booth came over to her and grabbed her by her shoulders and squeezed gently, "Bones! Stop. This is the last time and place that you want to be rational, okay? Let's just be wildly emotional and assume that you didn't psychotically murder a coworker who invited you over for dinner." That when Booth saw something on Brennan's bed pillow. "What's that?"

Brennan looked at him confused, "What?"

Booth pointed at her pillow as he said, "That." Brennan walked over to the pillow and picked up whatever it is. As she examined it Booth asked, "Is it another voodoo dumpling?"

It was another mojo bag. She opened it up picking through the contents. "It's some kind of flesh. And these are seashells. And leather, I think."

Booth looked at it and saw the thing she was holding. "Is that a human tooth?"

Brennan examined it closely. "Yes. A canine."

The door busted open and Detective Harding rushed in with her gun drawn, with several other policemen behind her also with guns. Booth turned to face her, pulling his own weapon out.

Detective Harding commanded Booth, "Put down your weapon, Agent Booth."

They faced each other, guns pointing at each other. Booth told her in a very calm voice, "Put down your weapon. There's no threat from us."

Detective Harding said in a disbelieving tone, "You're holding a gun on me."

Booth smiled slightly as he waved his finger, "Yeah, well, you know, my finger here is not on the trigger. It's the best I can do under the circumstances."

Harding reluctantly put her gun away and told the other officers, "Holster your weapons." The other policemen put their weapons away and so did Booth. The detective told Booth, "I'm here to arrest Dr. Brennan for the murder of Graham Legiere."

Booth stepped in front of Brennan acting as a body guard for her. "Whoa, that's not gonna happen."

Detective Harding smirked as she said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is."

Brennan whispered to him, "I told you, Booth."

Booth looked backed at her and pleaded, "Bones, please! Just once in your life will you be quiet?"

Detective Harding nodded her head as she said, "That's good advice because everything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law." She then noticed that bag that Bones was holding, "What is that?"

Brennan looked down at the bag and said, "I...I found it on my pillow." She then handed the mojo bag to Harding.

Booth groaned in frustration. "Bones."

Detective Harding smiled as this was becoming the easiest arrest yet. "Thank you, Dr. Brennan." Harding dropped the mojo bag into a plastic evidence bag.

Booth still stood in front of Brennan though. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight. Not when someone wanted her dead. "What's the probable cause?"

Detective Harding looked at him and told them, "Traces of Dr. Brennan's blood in Legiere's home, Legiere's blood on her clothing from the clinic."

Booth tried to dig for more, "Is that it?"

Detective Harding shrugged her shoulders, "All I'm prepared to share with the federal government. Now, please. Step away from my collar."

Booth stood his ground and told her with a shake of his head, "I'm afraid I can't let that happen." Brennan however stepped around Booth and offered herself up to Harding. Booth couldn't believe it! "Bones! Geez!" He slapped himself on the forehead at his wife's antics.

Brennan looked at Booth as she reasoned with him. "It's better if nobody else dies while we get to the bottom of this." Harding put the handcuffs on Brennan.

Booth sighed. "Well, you know what, I wasn't planning on dying."

Brennan winced as she was being handcuffed, "Ow. It's not you I worry about. Ow. The room is still paid for Booth." Harding shoved Brennan out of the room. Everyone but Booth followed. Booth sighed, turned in a circle and then stopped. He reached in his pocket, pulled out her earring, looked at it, tossed it in the air and caught it. He looked up, wondering what in hell he was going to do now.

~BONES~

Harding interrogated Brennan, "Were you sleeping with Graham Legiere?"

Brennan knew she wouldn't do it willingly. But… "I don't...I don't think so."

Detective Harding said in a dry tone, "You don't think so?"

Brennan shook her head. "I know I wouldn't willingly sleep with him and I don't remember sleeping with him. And at the clinic they said there was no sign of sexual activity."

They were interrupted however when Carolyn Julian and Booth entered the office. Carolyn shouted at Brennan, "I hope you've kept your mouth shut."

Booth smiled at Bones. "Hey, Bones you remember Carolyn Julian. She's your lawyer." Brennan smiled at Carolyn as they shook hands. Booth informed her, "She's at the U.S. Attorney's Office. She's the best there is."

Hearing that, Detective Harding chuckled, "You found a prosecutor to defend her? Interesting tactic."

Brennan informed the two newcomers, "I've told Detective Harding everything I know so far."

Carolyn looked between Booth and Brennan, her eyes landing on Booth. "She's a fool. You forgot to remind me she's a fool."

Booth smiled warmly at their friend. "Look, she's a brilliant forensic anthropologist with a naïve side."

Brennan scoffed at that. "I am not naïve. I have three degrees. I've pioneered research in..."

Carolyn ignored her little rant as she pointed to a bag on Detective Harding's desk, "What's that?"

Brennan stopped her rant at Booth and looked down at the bag. "A gris-gris bag. I found it in my hotel room and I'm assuming the person who left it there is trying to frame me so the tooth is probably Graham's."

Carolyn shook her head. "Three degrees and still a fool." She turned to Harding and told her, "This interview is over, Rose. I need to speak with my client alone before she gives herself a lethal injection."

Detective Harding raises her hand in surrender. "Of course. Of course. It's nice seeing you again, Carolyn."

As Detective Harding leaves, Booth turned to Brennan in utter shock. "Okay, Bones, what the hell where you talking to her for?"

Brennan looked at him confused. "I was just trying to help."

Carolyn scolded her, "You sew those lips together, girl, because there is no such thing as 'help' in the New Orleans Police. They just want to close the case as quickly and easily as they can. And you are making it Christmas time for them."

Booth sighed and tried to level his head. "Okay, listen, there's no way that Bones could've killed Legiere. I mean sh...it's...it's just not her. I mean look at her."

Carolyn looked at the two of them and said, "I am doing you a favor taking this case, Booth. But as the lady cop says, I'm a prosecutor. And as it stands now, I could try this case in my PJs and still get a conviction."

Brennan defended herself, "Well, you know me Carolyn! You shouldn't make snap judgments.

Booth looked at Brennan exasperated. That woman was going to be the death of him. "Bones!"

Carolyn waved Booth off as she said, "You're right, I do know you. Stop me when I get something wrong. Trained in three types of martial arts, two assault charges, registered marksman with the N.R.A., hunting licenses in four states..."

Booth couldn't help but say, "I still can't believe you hunt."

Brennan again defended herself, "Well, only for food."

Carolyn added as if they hadn't interrupted her. "Shot an unarmed man."

Brennan slumped in her chair. She was tired of defending herself for that one. "Well, he was trying to set me on fire."

Booth sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "All right, just...just arrange bail for us, Carolyn, so we can get out of here."

Carolyn nodded as she got up and grabbed her things. "Sure. Sure. Don't want to get this one mad at me."

Booth watched her leave and turned back to Bones. "You couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?"

Brennan still dint' see what she did wrong. "What?"

Booth shook his head and helped her up from her chair, "Never mind. Come on, we have to figure out what really happened."

~BONES~

Sam got up and left the table as a waiter brought some food to them. They ate quietly, thinking about what Sam had told them and how things could have happened when Brennan asked, "How'd I get away? You know, Graham got killed. I got away. How'd I do that?"

Booth leaned forward as he thought of exactly what Brennan could do. "You know, Bones, all those things that Carolyn mentioned, you know, the...the martial arts, the shooting, the...uh...the assaults... It's just...you're the type of woman that fights. Maybe they didn't expect it. Maybe they thought some kind of magic could hold you."

Brennan pointed her fork at Booth as she said again, "I don't believe in magic."

Booth smiled in response. "Exactly. You're a surprising woman. Sometimes that's enough for getting away."

Brennan smiled at him and gave a small laugh. It always amazed her as to how Booth could be so nice to her. Even from the beginning. "Why were you nice to me Booth? I mean, when you first met me, you never really told me before."

Booth thought about it for a second before he answered, "Because, because they think they get away with it."

Brennan looked up from her food confused. "What?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "They burn their victim, they blow 'em up, they toss 'em in the ocean, they bury them in the desert, they...they throw 'em to wood chippers. Sometimes, you know, years go by. They relax. And they start living their lives like they didn't do anything wrong. Like they didn't spend somebody else's life in order to get what they got. They think they're safe from retribution. But, you make those bastards unsafe. That's why I was nice to you. And then I got to know you." He threw his charm smile at her as he said the last part.

Brennan laughed softly. "I couldn't do all those things without you, Booth."

Booth leaned forward even more. "Yeah. So...uh, you should be a little nicer to me, huh?" He smiled charmingly at her again as she smiles back.

Brennan leaned forward to just an inch away from his lips. "I really should."

Booth whispered, "Yeah." He then captured her lips in a sweet, soft kiss.

Carolyn walked up to the table and cleared her throat. "I walk in on something?" She tossed her files on the table and smiled at the two of them. She turned around to a waiter and ordered, "Beignet and a café." She sat in the seat Sam vacated earlier as she told them the newest information, "Hospital records. The tox screen was negative."

Brennan shook her head. "What? That's impossible."

Booth couldn't believe it either. "No Rohypnol? No ketamine?"

Carolyn shook her head. "Nothing but a touch of alcohol. Not enough to affect a baby. A jury is never going to believe this amnesia story."

Booth leaned back in his chair and groaned, "Well, but it's true."

Carolyn needed more than that though. "Maybe this is true, too. Legiere tried to rape you. He was a notorious horn dog. We claim self-defense, cop a plea. You're out in three years."

Booth shook his head. Nope, that's not what happened. "Nah, I don't care what it looks like or how you're reading the evidence, Carolyn. She didn't do it." Brennan looked touched and grateful for his trust and smiled warmly at him.

Carolyn sighed, "Could be that's true, Seeley. You vouch for her, that's good enough for me. But, chéri, this looks bad. All you've got on your side is proof you got roughed up. These pictures from the clinic, these x-rays." Carolyn has passed a folder with x-rays in them to Brennan and she looked at them.

Brennan's eyes widened as she read the image. "My wrist. The doctor was wrong. He said this was a Colles fracture from a fall. This break shows surface trauma on the outside of the bone. This was either defensive or someone slammed my wrist into something."

Carolyn provided, "Maybe because you tried to stab him in the heart with a knife?"

Brennan shook her head, now finally seeing what could have happened. "No, think about it. If I'd already stabbed the attacker, he wouldn't have been able to break my wrist."

Carolyn smiled as she went along with it. "I like this story. What else?"

Booth jumped in as he connected some dots. "Well, there's the mojo bag. I mean someone was trying to put a forgetting spell on her."

Brennan sighed as she looked at Booth. "Booth."

Carolyn waved her hand dismissively at Brennan. "Hey, I can work with that. This is New Orleans, baby." Booth smiled and mouthed a 'Thank you' as Brennan answered her phone. Carolyn smiled a titled her in acknowledgement. She liked that woman, only heavens knew why. But she was good for Seeley and that all that mattered to her.

~BONES~

Brennan, Booth, Hodgins, Angela, and Zach were seated in her office as Brennan told them what happened, "I got in the middle of a battle between two religious sects. Benoit used Hurricane Katrina as a diversion to take the soul of a voodoo priest."

Angela still couldn't believe it. "And he killed his own daughter."

Hodgins shook his head. "Dark sorcerers suck, man."

Booth leaned back in his chair as he joked, "Oh, but, you know, he intended to bring her back to life."

Zach looked at the group perplexed. "There's not really any such thing as spells and magic."

Hodgins snorted at that. "What are you talking about? He put a forgetting hex on Dr. Brennan."

Brennan shook her head at that. It was foolish to think such things. "But it wasn't the spell that made me forget. It was the drugs. Rohypnol."

Booth smiled at her as he told her, "Blood test didn't find any."

She looked at him trying to think of other drugs. "Gamma hydrogenate?"

Booth shook his head. "Not a trace."

Brennan still didn't believe it. "Sodium pentathlon?"

He pursed his lips as he shook his head again. "Nope."

Brennan huffed and offered, "Severe emotional trauma."

Angela laughed softly at her friend's statement. "Honey, even I think you're too strong-minded for that."

Brennan concluded reasonably, "There were too many delays in doing my blood test. That, plus the adrenaline of my escape. The drugs were out of my system."

Hodgins chuckled. "They put the voodoo on you, baby." Booth crossed his arms in some kind of voodoo sign and hissed. As an afterthought Hodgins added, "I didn't really mean to call you 'baby.'"

Brennan glared at them, but couldn't hide her smiled. "You guys, stop, now. I mean it."

Zach leaned forward in his chair and asked seriously, "Do you believe in voodoo? Because even if a small part of you believes in it, then it has a grip."

Brennan shook her head as she held her head up high. "I do not believe."

Booth leaned in and brought his fingers together so that they were almost touching. "Maybe just a little?"

Brennan gave him a deadpan look. "No."

Booth smiled as he leaned back a little. "Good. Because, you know, if you have any doubts, we'll just have Benoit send you back one of those little satanic mojo pouches from prison."

Brennan laughed a little as she told him, "Booth, objects have no intrinsic power. A person's future does not depend on some...thing. Things are just things. They do not have magical meaning or powers."

Booth was leaning back in his chair, head resting on his hand, listening. He opened his hand and let the earring that he picked up in Legiere's house dangle for her to see. Brennan stared at it for a moment before she asked, "Where'd you get that?"

Booth smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "What does it matter? It's just a thing, right?" He gave her the earring, watching her eyes shine in delight.

Brennan smoothed her fingers over the earring and whispered, "My mother's earring."

Booth got up and began to leave. "No, uh, magical power over your future." Smiling at her, he exited the office.

Angela had been intrigued by their conversation. Something was definitely going on there. "Does that prove something?"

Brennan stared at the earring and finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Yeah. It proves something." She smiled down at the earring and shook her head. She looked up at everyone and smiled, "It's been a long few days. I'm just gonna go home and sleep now."

She got up and grabbed her bag. All three of her friends watched her leave, Angela having the biggest smile on her face. Oh yeah, something definitely was up. Brennan however was too focused on getting to Booth. She saw him leaning up against his SUV and smiled at him. "You didn't have to do that. You were right, I was innocent."

Booth pushed himself off his car and smiled. "I'd do anything for you Temperance. Anything."

She brought her hand to his cheek and leaned up to him, kissing his lips softly. "Thank you Seeley. Now let's go home, I have to thank you properly."

Booth laughed out loud as he watch Bones get into the passenger side of the car. "Yes, let's."


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer - I don't own bones nor will I ever will**

* * *

 **Chapter 20 – The Graft in the Girl**

Booth, Brennan and Angela were walking together down a hospital corridor, when Angela finally asked, "Uh, Agent Booth?"

Booth looked at her. "Yes, Angela?"

Angela pointed out where they were, "This is the pediatric cancer floor of the hospital."

Booth nodded his head, "Mm-hmm. Yeah."

Angela sighed. He wasn't going to give her anything. "Right. Well, uh, what I'm about to show Deputy Director Cullen is kinda gruesome." She then pointed to her bag.

Brennan looked up from papers she'd been flipping through as she too asked, "Why are we meeting Cullen here?"

Booth didn't like going into the details of Cullen's life, so he answered in a all-encompassing way. "Because he's the deputy director of the FBI and this is where he wants us to show it to him." That got him some pointed looks from both Angela and Brennan. "Okay, listen. About a month ago his daughter Amy was diagnosed with cancer. Meso..."

Brennan remembered Booth telling her that Amy had cancer, but he never said which kind until then. "Mesothelioma. Lung cancer."

Booth nodded his head. "Exactly. So she's not doing so well, so it's a lot easier for us to come to him right now."

Brennan found that…interesting. "Huh."

Booth gave her a pointed look, "Huh, what?"

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing. It's just that's an extremely rare form of lung cancer—odd for someone Amy's age to contract."

Booth stopped walking and faced Brennan, holding out hand. "No, no, no. No probing, okay? Not to Cullen, not to his family. This will take five minutes. We go in, do the show and tell relating to the case and then we're out of there. Is that clear?"

Cullen walked outside of room 128 as Brennan whispered back, "I think it's peculiar."

Booth shook his head. "No."

Brennan tried to reason, "But I..."

However, Booth cut her off. "No." He knew how Bones could get when it came to something that was out of norm.

Brennan tried again, "You have to admit..."

Cullen cut them both off as he said gruffly, "Booth. Dr. Brennan. How appropriate, you two bickering in an adolescent wing."

Booth stammered out, flustered at being caught. "Uh, sir, yes. Um, is it okay if we come in, sir?"

Cullen turned and asked his daughter inside the room, "What do you think, sweetheart?"

Amy looked at Booth from inside the hospital room and smiled, "Booth's cool, most of the time."

Cullen smiled at his daughter as he turned to Booth. "You heard the lady. You're cool."

Booth smiled, "Mm-hmmm."

Brennan felt Booth squeeze her arm in warning to not continue their line of conversation inside. "Yeah, right. I got it Booth."

~BONES~

A doctor was washing his hands and prepping for surgery as Brennan and Booth talked to him. "Doctor, you performed Amy Cullen's graft, correct?"

The doctor nodded his head. "Yes, But I just do the procedure, Ms. Brennan."

Booth automatically corrected the doctor, having known Bones for years. "Dr. Brennan."

The doctor looked between the two and asked, "MD?"

Brennan shook her head. "PhD."

The doctor chuckled and said wryly, "Well, those who can't do, do research."

Booth didn't like that this 'good' doctor just insulted his wife. He stepped forward, protectively trying to defend her. "Okay..."

Brennan stopped Booth though. Happy to see that he was defending her, but they didn't need a scuffle about it. "Booth..."

Booth took a step back and looked at her. He sighed and said, "Okay, fine. If you're just the mechanic then who's responsible for all the parts that you install?"

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. "You'll have to check with the hospital's transplant coordinator. Why? What's going on?"

Brennan told him authoritatively, "There are indications the bone graft you implanted in Amy Cullen gave her cancer."

The doctor looked at her in shock. "No, that's impossible. Every graft we get has been tested and irradiated."

Brennan smiled smugly at him. "There's one way to know for sure. Assuming significant remodeling hasn't occurred do a transiliac crest core biopsy on the donor bone. Then we'll have age and pathology."

The doctor looked at her and said condescendingly, "And who's going to perform that biopsy, Doctor?"

Brennan crossed her arms over her chest. "You are."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were talking to Cullen in Booth's office. Brennan told him gently, "Your daughter's cancer originated in the bone graft. The test confirms it."

Cullen looked at them confused, "It was the operation?"

Brennan nodded her head apologetically, "Not only was the bone contaminated by malignancy it was significantly older than documented."

Cullen was very confused. "It was expired or something?"

Booth stepped in and tried to explain. "No, sir. It just came from a much older donor."

Brennan added, "Someone in their sixties."

Cullen couldn't believe it. He scoffed, "Hospital error."

Booth told him, "The next step would be to find out where the graft came from and how it slipped through the system."

Cullen shook his head. "This is not FBI jurisdiction."

Booth stepped a little closer to him and said quietly, "It's a question of justice."

Cullen looked at Brennan as he asked desperately, "Does this, in any way, change my daughter's prognosis?"

Brennan looked at him and said empathetically, "No."

Cullen sighed, "So she's still gonna die of this cancer?"

Brennan nodded her head. "Barring spontaneous remission the likelihood is significant."

Cullen looked down. "The FBI's not my personal police force. I appreciate what you discovered. Call Charlie Hammond, CDC. Tell him what happened...he'll continue the investigation."

He turned to leave when Brennan told him, "My team can still..."

Booth cut her off though, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her as he said, "We'll notify CDC right away."

~BONES~

Booth was driving while Brennan was in the passenger seat mad that that was it. "So that's it? Whoever did this to Amy Cullen just gets away."

Booth shook his head as he smiled grimly, "No. What we do now is we find out a way to make this a legitimate FBI case."

Brennan sighed. "If one graft is infected, there's no telling how many others are out there."

Booth shook his head in disgust. "Geez, you know, I feel like I'm on a serial killer case just waiting for another victim to surface."

Brennan pointed out the horrible truth. "You're not far off. What if BioTech makes a habit of selling diseased parts?"

Booth said firmly, "Well, then it becomes FBI business if one of those tainted grafts is sold across state line."

Brennan told him, "Well, you can spit into four states from where we are right now."

Booth looked at her confused, "What?"

Brennan rolled her eyes. "Not literally."

He wasn't used to hearing her make a colloquialism like that. "Okay, first we gotta find out if this tissue lab is servicing any other hospitals."

Brennan nodded her head. "See if they've killed anyone else."

Booth gave her a pointed look. "Amy Cullen is not dead, Bones."

Brennan looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm afraid there's a degree of inevitability." She reached over a squeezed his thigh. "I'm sorry."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were inside the SUV again as Booth drove. He looked down at a paper pad as he said, "Hey, look. There are three potential West Virginia donors we could be talking about. There's Lester Blake out of Tague. There's Blair Simmons..." A car zoomed by the honking their horn. Booth yelled, "Hey lady, watch where you're driving!"

Brennan took the paper away from him as she said, "I'd rather not be a donor myself. Blair Simmons out of Dailey and William Hastings out of Beard's Fork. All three men died of mesothelioma last August."

Booth looked at where they were and said, "Ok, we'll be in Beard's Fork within about an hour, ok? You're sure Zack and Hodgins are on the other two, right?"

Brennan answered her ringing cell phone, "This is Brennan."

Zach spoke to her through his own cell, "Dr. Brennan, I'm at Lester Blake's exhumation. I've examined the remains."

Booth's own cell phone rang. He answered it too. "This is Booth."

Hodgins yelled to him over the noise, "Blair Simmons isn't dead."

Booth didn't know what that meant. "What?"

Hodgins told him, "He's frozen in a cryogenics lab."

Booth scrunched his face even more confused. "What do you mean frozen?"

Hodgins joked around, "Like a supermarket turkey. Not a scratch on him. And I think he's wedged between Walt Disney and Ted Williams."

Zach told Brennan while Booth talked with Hodgins, "There's no sign of body tampering, and it's clear his casket hasn't been open since his burial."

Brennan looked at Booth and said, "So if Blake isn't our donor..."

At the same time Booth looked at Brennan and said, "So if Simmons isn't our donor..."

That meant their guy was the donor. Bingo baby.

~BONES~

They were in a room where coffins were out for display. Booth looked around, disturbed by the sight. "What's this place?"

Brennan looked around the room as she told him. "Casket showroom. They're having a sale."

Booth snorted. "Well, it looks like a sick department store. Alright, nobody would be cutting anybody up in this place. Let's go."

He turned to lead Brennan out of the room when she stopped him and pointed at something, "Whoa. Wait, over there."

Booth looked over to where she was pointing. "What? It's a water line. What's the big deal?"

Brennan also pointed out, "But the floor slopes towards the centre of the room. This wasn't always used for a showroom. I wonder what's under the carpet. Huh. If body work was done in here, they'd need a drain." She cut a piece of the carpet to reveal a drain.

Booth shook his head in disbelief. "You're kidding me. It's a drain?"

Martin entered the room and told them in an annoyed tone. "This is our sales office. There is nothing in here you need to see. The only thing in this room is caskets. "

Brennan looked up at an air vent in the wall and said, "I'm not so sure about that."

Martin watched as Brennan walked over to the wall and stammered out, "No, what...you are making a mistake."

Brennan narrowed her eyes. "Am I?" She closed a casket and climbed up on it to look at the vent.

Martin knew he was in trouble. "She's ruining my merchandise."

Booth chuckled at his lame excuse. "Come on, how much is that one?"

Martin told him, "$7,000"

Booth's eyes widened. They could afford that, but they did not need it. "Bones, watch the scuff marks."

Brennan turned around to explain to the man what he so obviously forgot. "Mr. Martin, this room is designed to be washed clean. You've got drains in the floor. I think this is where you did the bone harvesting. When you thought we were coming back, you moved everything around."

Martin played dumb. "That's absurd. I did no such thing."

Brennan leant down and grabbed a mask and swab from her bag. "You're an excellent house cleaner but in the carpeting and tidying up, you forgot about one thing." She reached up and opened the air vent, swabbing the inside. "Bone dust. You forgot about airborne particles."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan left the hospital after Cullen thanked them for helping solve the case. Booth sensed something was weighing heavily on Brennan's mind though. He reached over the console in the SUV and grabbed her hand, "What's on your mind, Bones?"

She sighed deeply and squeezed his hand. "It's just so sad. She's so young and she did nothing wrong. She only broke a bone."

Booth nudged her so that she was looking at him. He quickly glanced at her before turning his gaze back to driving and said, "What you did for her, you figuring out how she got sick, that will make it easier for them. Yeah, it's still sad that she's going to die, but at least they have a peace of mind knowing what caused it. You gave them that babe. They will be thankful forever for that."

Brennan leaned her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes and sighed one more time. "Yeah, I guess." This had been a draining case, with only a sad ending. Booth brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them softly, bringing her comfort that she didn't realized she needed. "Thank you, Booth. Thank you."

He smiled warmly at her, "Anytime, babe. Anytime."

* * *

 **Today I'm in a bad mood to day because the most horrible guy has been elected president of the United States, but enough of that... Um I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter today but you know why now.**

 **Please Review it gets me out to bed to keep writing.**


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 – The Soldier on the Grave**

Brennan and Booth walked onto the crime scene at Arlington National Cemetery. Booth shook his head as he said, "I never get used to the magnitude of this place, what it's taken to keep this country free."

Brennan looked around and shook her head as well. So many lives. "All societies build monuments to their dead, to convince future combatants that it's an honor to die in battle."

Booth said pointedly, a little angry at Brennan's words, "For these servicemen it was. And somebody to use this place to protest the war just pisses me off. These are the lives that gave them the right. These men, they should be respected."

Brennan spoke without thinking, "If they were really respected, maybe not so many of them would be buried here."

Booth looked at her angrily, "Are we gonna get into something here, Bones?"

Brennan shook her head, surprised to see that Booth was angry. "I don't see why. I think we both wish this place were a lot smaller."

An agent came up to them and pointed toward the actual scene, "Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan. Right this way." As they walked to the site the agent told them what happened, "It must've happened in the middle of the night. Place is so big no one saw the fire."

Zach was taking photos of a burned skeleton, leaning against a headstone as they approached and said, "The accelerant was charcoal starter."

The agent told them, "We didn't find a suicide note."

Brennan examined the body as she said, "If he was a protester, wouldn't he have left a note?"

Booth shook his head, "Didn't need to. It's on Charlie Kent's grave." Booth looked around them feeling the weight of this case already "Press was coming out to do a tribute to him." Brennan looked up, pulling out latex gloves, as she noticed his tone. Booth continued, "One-year anniversary of his death."

Brennan didn't know who that was. "Charlie Kent?"

Booth expounded, "He was in the National Guard. About to be drafted by the NBA when he got shipped out to Iraq. He gave his life taking out a group of insurgents to save his unit. Won the silver star."

Brennan looked back down at the skeleton. "It's male. African descent. Approximately 20-29 years old. Too early to determine cause of death."

Booth looked down at the remains and said sarcastically, "I'm not a pro, but I'm guessin' fire." Brennan looked up at him pointedly, not amused at all.

The agent told Booth, "The White House and the D.O.D. want an I.D. as soon as possible."

Brennan went back to examining the remains as she stated, "So they can brand him a traitor."

Booth really wasn't in the mood for Brennan's blunt nature right then. "Why do you have to be so cynical?"

Brennan shook her head as she explained, "I'm not cynical. It's a necessary psychology of warfare. Heroes and villains." She stood up and circled around the remains. "Without clear distinctions like that, we'd never be able to fight."

Booth remembered his days back in the Army and said, "Yeah, well, I always found being shot at... was a motivating factor." He turned around and moved away from the remains.

He heard Brennan tell Zach, 'Bag these fragments of his clothing. I also want any singed plant life or debris you find around him.' But Booth was more fixated on a headstone just a little bit to his right.

Brennan turned around saw Booth standing in front of another headstone. She walked over to him a he shook his head. Brennan looked down at the stone and asked softly, "What?"

Booth sighed heavily, definitely remembering his days back as a Ranger. "It's Jamie Richards. We were in the Rangers together. He was hit by a roadside bomb... just outside the green zone. He left a wife and two kids. The fact that he was near this…"

Brennan nodded her head, understanding what he was thinking – although she didn't believe it. "You believe somehow he's still here watching?"

Booth swallowed hard as he looked down, "Yeah. You don't. I get that."

Brennan spoke softly as she said, "I know you think he's a good man. That's - that's enough for me." She didn't want to upset Booth more than he was. He had told her a few things about his past in the Army, but he always told her that he didn't want to relive those horrors. So she never pushed. She patted his shoulder and Booth crouched down in front of the grave. She turned around and told Zach, "Zach, I want pictures of all remaining tissue before he's moved."

~BONES~

Brennan and Booth were in the SUV. Brennan was talking to Booth as she was on a cell phone. Booth stared ahead, driving as Brennan said, "Marshall was against the war. They knew he'd look like a protester, so no one would expect murder."

Booth shook his head, "As far as anyone knows, this is still a suicide. I want the killer to think that he got away with it. He's smart. I want the edge."

Brennan talked into her cell phone, "Okay, Zach, then magnify the marks on the cranium. Call me if you match them to any kind of weapon."

Booth watched her end the call when he said, "Y' know, I'm just gonna be asking his mother a few questions. You could've just stayed back there and played with your bones."

Brennan looked out her window as she said, "I know. Just wanted to keep you company, that's all."

Booth wasn't buying that for a second. "Company?"

Brennan nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm trying to be more sociable. You know?"

He shook his head as he mumbled, "Lousy liar."

Brennan sighed. He was going to get mad at her when she told him the truth. "I just think inside, you're still military, Booth. You might be too close to this one. I just wanna make sure you stay objective."

Booth told her stiffly, "I know how to do my job. I was doing it just fine long before you became my partner."

Brennan knew this was going to happen. She stated, "You're angry."

Booth became annoyed. "Well, because I have people all around me with opinions about the war who don't know what the hell they're talking about!"

Brennan shot back, "You know I've been in Sudan, Rwanda. For two months I sifted through the wreckage of 9/11 trying to help the families of the victims."

Booth shook his head, "All I'm saying is that this is just another case. That's all. It's just- It's another case."

Brennan looked out the window angry now herself. He could be so stubborn sometimes. "You're not such a great liar yourself." She heard Booth sigh which caused her to look at him. He looked so sad. Brennan leaned forward a little and pleaded, "I'm your partner. Let me be your partner."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan walked down the hallway of the VA center. "Jimmy loved that guy. He didn't kill him."

Brennan looked at him and said sarcastically, "Now you're a mind reader."

Booth gave her a look and said, "Maybe. You want me to guess your weight?"

Brennan glared at him. "You do and you could lose a tooth. Booth, you've gotta stay objective. Jimmy was one of the last people to see Devon alive. He admitted they went to the cemetery. Jimmy could've killed him."

Booth threw his hands up in the air, "Oh, here we go. I thought you didn't like speculation."

Brennan told him honestly, "I don't. That's why I took this. Cigarette butt. See if we can pull any DNA from it and match it to anything he left on Devon."

Booth looked down at the butt in her hand and then up at her, annoyed. "Right. If you got what you need, then why are you giving me such grief?"

Booth started to walk away when Brennan put a restraining hand on his arm. "Because I thought you could've been a little tougher in there."

Booth didn't need to hear that. He knew what that guy was going through. "I'm tough."

Brennan conceded, "Most of the time."

Booth shook his head as Brennan got the last word in again and chuckled, "Do you always have to get the last word in?"

Brennan smiled up at him, happy to see the fire back in his eyes. "I like to, yeah."

Booth was about to say something, but was interrupted by Hank yelling, "Booth! Son of a bitch."

Booth looked over to Hank and smiled down at his good friend. "Hey, Hank! Hey!" Hank pulled him down and they hugged, patting each other on the back as Booth asked him, "How the hell are ya, man?"

Hank smiled up at him and joked, "Great, just got some new wheels."

Booth chuckled and said, "Sweet ride, man. Hank Lutrell, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Hank shook her hand as he recognized the name, "The bone lady and the wife."

Brennan had a wry look on her face as she smiled, "That's me."

Hank smiled at the look on her face, "I heard you two were working together from Booth. Booth and I were in the same unit in Kosovo. Hey you gotta come over for dinner. Janie and the kids keep asking about you."

Booth nodded his head. "Yeah, I'd love to. I'll call. We'll uh, make it a date, okay?"

Hank nodded his goodbyes as he said, "Great. I gotta roll. I gotta be in court at 3:00."

Booth laughed, "Yeah."

Hank winked at Brennan as he said, "They can't start without the judge."

Booth patted him on the shoulder as Hank wheeled away. He called out, "I'll call."

Hank spun around as he joked, "Hey, call me or I'm gonna kick your ass."

Booth smiled as he watched his good friend leave, "Uh-huh."

Brennan never knew about Hank. She knew Booth still talked to people from his unit, but she never physically met one of them before. It worried her that Booth had been close to getting hurt like that. She whispered to him, "What happened to him?"

Booth looked at her exasperated and irritated. He was starting to get in a dark place, a place he knew she never saw before, a place he worked at for her never to see. This case was definitely getting to him. He told her curtly, "He got hurt."

Brennan watched Booth walk away, taken aback by his tone. He was starting to worry her.

~BONES~

Booth picked up one of the medals, taking it all in. "You know, this is a Silver Star." Hodgins and Brennan looked over towards him as Booth clenched the medal in his hand.

Brennan tried to console Booth. "I know how much you hate this, Booth."

Booth swallowed hard as he put the medal back down. "Let's just get this over with, all right?"

Brennan nodded her head. "Okay, I want a full set of X-rays, and a clear picture of all fracture patterns. And a tox screen and analysis of any particulates in the wound."

Goodman told the team, "D.O.D. wants this done fast. They want this out of the press as soon as possible."

Brennan told him sternly, "It will take the time it takes to do properly." She turned to Angela and asked, "Can you run scenarios on the angles and the entry order of the shots?"

Angela nodded her head, "Yeah. I should be able to give you something."

Hodgins turned to Booth and started to ramble, "I know we don't see eye to eye on a lot of stuff because you know, politically, I think we live in an Orwellian nightmare due to…"

Booth crossed his arms and tensely interrupted him, "What…what are you trying to say?"

Hodgins looked down and said quietly, "Just- I'm sorry, man. I really am."

Booth gave the uniform and medals a final glance as he turned towards Brennan. She told Zach, "I'll need X-rays of L-1 through four, and the left scapula."

Booth was definitely being brought back to his times in the Rangers when he looked down at Kent. "Guh, he's just a kid."

Brennan nodded her head. "It's always the young. Anthropologists have theorized that wars break out when there's an increase in the population of unmarried men under the age of 25." Booth shot her a blank stare, he knew how she was but he honestly couldn't deal with it right now. Brennan backtracked and apologized, "I'm sorry. I need to create a distance from the victim. It's how I deal. I…I didn't mean…"

Booth nodded tensely and said, "Just, you know, do what you have to do. I'm gonna go do my thing."

Brennan watched his quickly retreating form. She didn't know what to say to him. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how.

~BONES~

Booth and Hank were sitting at a table in a restaurant as Hank said, "Look at the two of us- you with a badge, me in the courtroom. Both trying to find justice, eh?"

Booth said half-jokingly, half-serious, "That's why we fought, right?"

Hank laughed and said, "That's what they told us."

Booth sat up straight and looked at Hank, "What? You don't believe it?"

Hank nodded his head, "Sure I do. You don't look like you do." He really looked at Booth and then groaned, "You're not gambling again, are ya?"

Booth waved that off. "No, man. No, I've been good. You know, I've been going to my meetings. I haven't even played a game of Monopoly." Hank leaned in showing Booth that he was there for him. "Listen, Hank. Um, I got this case. Uh, Charles Kent. It's friendly fire."

Hank hung his head. "Oh, God."

Booth nodded grimly, "Yeah. Covered up. Two of the members of the squad are dead. One murdered. You know, whatever went down must've been pretty ugly." Hank shook his head as Booth questioned, "You know, Hank… heh, you know what, uh…You know what we did…"

Hank looked at Booth and told him, "Don't go there, Booth."

Booth leaned forward and whispered, "Was it worth it? I mean, look at you."

Hank sighed. He knew something had been bothering Booth when they started this lunch. "You saved my life. I got a great family because of you."

Booth sat back, still not really believing it. All the bad he did, was it really worth it? "Yeah. But I mean, why was it always a secret?"

Hank tried to reason with him, "We were given a choice. They always gave us a choice."

Booth nodded his head slowly, "Yeah, but that last time…"

Hank sighed heavily. "Well, you knew what was at stake."

Booth nodded his head. "Yeah. Yeah."

Hank leant in closer and asked, "You never talked to anybody about it?" Booth shook his head. "You've got to. How about your wife? That doctor?"

Booth didn't want her to know what bad things he did. He was afraid it would make her see him differently. "Nah. No, she's…You know, look, I got work. I should go."

Hank shook his head. "Yeah. Uh, we're on for Sunday dinner, right?"

Booth nodded his head as he got up. "Yeah."

Hank nodded again. "Okay. And Booth, tell her. She'll understand."

Booth looked down and said, "I'll think about it. See you Sunday."

~BONES~

Booth looked over as the two families walked away, each consoling one another. What good was it all, to keep secrets from those you loved? He whispered to Brennan, "I've done some things."

Brennan looked at Booth and nodded her head. "I know."

Booth shook his head. She had no clue what type of man he was, what he could become. "No, no, you don't."

Brennan could see the conflict going on in his eyes. He had been battling some many dark demons throughout the case. "But it's okay."

Booth shook his head again, "Well, not…not as a secret..." Booth sat down as he finished, "It's not. I have to be uh, honest about myself." Brennan sat next to him and listened. He looked at her through tear-filled eyes. "I…I have to be able to tell someone."

Brennan whispered to him reassuringly, "You will in time, Booth. You will."

Booth sniffed and looked down at his hands. God, he wanted to tell her so badly. Hank was right, he needed to tell someone. He trusted Brennan more than anyone in the world. He began to tell her slowly, "I was sent to Kosovo. There was this Serb, General Raddick, who led a unit who would go into villages and, you know, destroy 'em. Women, children, all- all killed because he wanted to ethnically purify his country. He'd done this twice before. I mean, we had facts, proof. 232 people just erased." He paused to collect his thoughts. He hated what he had done, even though he knew it was right. Booth took in a deep breath and continued, "I was the sniper sent in to stop him. He was set to leave in a couple hours. It was his son's…son's birthday. A little boy maybe about six or seven. I can still hear the music from the party, you know? That song just playing in my head. Nobody knew where the shot came from, but, you know, they knew why it came." Booth finally looked up, not at Brennan directly, but she could see the haunted look on his face.

Booth turned finally and looked into her eyes. "They said I saved over a hundred people. But, you know, that little boy who didn't know who his father was, who…who just loved him...he saw him die, fall to the ground right in front of him. That little boy all covered in his daddy's blood was changed forever." He was told hundreds of times that what he did was the right thing, but it never felt right. "It's never just…It's never just the one person who dies, Bones. Never. Never."

Brennan's heart was crushed by his words. She knew how he felt when he had to kill someone, but never understood fully. But now, knowing this part of his past. All the evidence showed that what he did was good, yet he still felt like the bad guy. That just showed how good of a man he was. She silently placed a hand on his forearm. Booth sniffled and placed his hand atop hers, grateful. "You know, we all die a little bit, Bones. With each shot, we all die a little bit."

Brennan brought her other hand up to his cheek and cupped it gently, causing Booth to look at her again. He was surprised to not see disgust or hate, but he saw love and understanding as tears filled her eyes. Booth brought his own hand up to hers and rubbed it softly with his thumb, as Brennan leaned her forehead against his.

She kissed his lips softly and then whispered, "You are a good man, Booth. I love you very much."

Booth laughed lightly, sadly at her words. It was funny how some of the weight he had been feeling had lifted off his shoulders at her words. Was that really all he needed to hear? "Thanks, Bones." He silently finished that with, For loving me for me, good and bad.


	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer - I don't own bones but I know that every bonehead will want to own it too**

* * *

 **Chapter 22 – The Woman in Limbo**

Booth guided Brennan off the platform and into the hallway where they ran into David, Brennan's 'boyfriend'. "Oh, Temperance. Hi."

Brennan was very surprised to see David there. They hadn't made any plans to meet up. "David!" He leaned in to kiss her on the lips, but she moved so he kissed her on the cheek instead. She did not want Booth to kill him after all. "What are you doing here?"

Booth told him in an annoyed tone, "She has to get to court so…"

David smiled tightly at Booth. "Agent Booth. Nice to see you again. Especially when I'm not in custody. Listen, I read your manuscript. I couldn't wait to tell you how great it is."

Brennan really wished David had come at a different time now. She had only given David her manuscript because they'd been 'going out' for some time and still hadn't slept together. She knew that that would be a big breaking point soon and she offered up the next best thing she could think of. An exclusive look into her book. She hated to do it, but they needed a cover. She still didn't let Booth read over her manuscripts. She forced out a smile and said, "Thank you. Really?"

Booth looked in between them stunned. Did he just say that he read… "You read her manuscript?"

Booth reached for the manuscript that David held and tried to read it. Brennan however took it from him and said, "Uh, uh, uh."

David smiled as he finally saw that his relationship was better than theirs. "Her second novel. Bone Free. It's kinda like 'Born Free' except no lions."

Booth scrunched his face up at the title. "Yuck on the title. Am I in it?"

They answered at the same time. Brennan gave a resounding, "No!" While David nodded his head, "Definitely."

Booth smiled widely. "Aha!"

Brennan had always held out on him until the book was published, surprising him. Brennan tried to distract Booth from that slip up, "Uh, we have to get to court…"

David smiled as he remembered something she said about her last court appearance on one of their 'dates. "Hope you remembered your original notes, because last time…."

Brennan turned to Booth, glaring at him. "Told you, Booth!"

Booth watched as Brennan hurriedly walked back to her office as he yelled, "No. Bones! We don't have time! Our…all right, listen. Uh, Three minutes. I'll wait for you in the car." David and Booth circled each other like two lions in the jungle as Booth laughed, "So are you two, uh…"

David smiled and shrugged, "Yeah, sort of. Is that a problem?"

Booth chuckled and said under his breath. "Yeah." He then said clearly, "Bones is very literal. So in the future, no jokey advice on a court day."

David nodded his head as he watched Booth walk away. "Okay."

~BONES~

Booth came into the Angelator Room looking from Bones. "Any of you see Bones? We're due in court, like, hello, now!" Angela, Zach and Goodman were all standing around the Angelator with confusion on their faces. They looked at Booth, concerned. "What?"

Angela brought up an image of a woman and said, "This totally freaked her out."

Booth grabbed his phone and dialed a number as Zach said, "My theory. Caffeine intolerance."

Booth turned away from them and spoke into his phone, concern lacing his voice. He needed to get to Bones. "Yeah. You're gonna want to take Dr. Brennan off the witness list today. No. She can't make it into court. Thanks."

Angela was about to freak out. "Alright. What's going on?"

Booth turned around and looked at them as he said, "That…is Christine Brennan."

Goodman looked at the image in front of them. "Good God."

Booth shook his head in disbelief. "You just found Bones' mother."

~BONES~

Brennan sat in her office staring at the dolphin belt buckle. Booth came in and she immediately felt his presence. It was comforting. She whispered, "I have to miss court."

Booth slowly made his way over to her. "I know."

Brennan kept looking at the belt buckle as she sniffled and said, "I remember this belt buckle. I borrowed it without asking the first day of high school. My father had it specially made for my mother because she loved dolphins."

Booth came up to her a kneeled by her side. "Babe, I'm sorry."

Brennan fought the onslaught of tears. "I always knew that for my parents to disappear like that They…They had to be dead. I thought that when it was confirmed, I'd feel relief, but…"

Booth placed his hand on top of her thigh and squeezed softly. "It's still bad news."

Zach appeared in the doorway and Brennan looked up at him. She needed to know. "You have the file, Zach?"

Zach nodded and showed it to her as he read, "Jane Doe, Number 129-0998."

Brennan prompted, "Where was she found?"

Booth knew that Brennan needed answers but it definitely didn't have to happen now. "Bones, I…"

Brennan shook her head and asked Zach again, "What does it say?"

Zach looked down at the file and read, "'In September of 1998, a grave-digging crew at the Sunset Memory Cemetery in Salisbury, Pennsylvania, uncovered human remains in a completely advanced stage of decomposition.'"

Booth looked up at Zach and asked the hardest of all questions, "Is it from a grave?"

Zach shook his head. "No. It appears that somebody just dug a hole at the edge of the cemetery and…plopped the body in there."

Booth gave him a disapproving look and scolded softly, "Zach…."

Zach looked down ashamed a little. "Sorry. The local coroner found no obvious evidence of foul play and sent the remains, a few artifacts and soil samples to the Jeffersonian, hoping we could identify her. Technically, you mother's been at the Jeffersonian as long as you have."

Booth saw that Brennan was visibly shaken by that news. He squeezed her thigh again as he warned, "Zach."

Zach shrugged his shoulders apologetically, "Sorry. But they both got here in 1998."

Goodman came into the room and announced quietly, "Dr. Brennan. Miss Montenegro has volunteered to drive you home."

Booth patted her leg affectionately and said, "Temperance. Go home."

~BONES~

Brennan was sitting at her dining room table looking at old pictures and reminiscing until she heard Booth unlock the door and come in with a box of take-out. She smiled slightly at him, "It's after midnight, Booth."

Booth smiled down at her as he laid the items out on the table. "Well, I was driving by, I saw that lights were still on and I asked Sid to make you something good. I thought you might like some Wong Foo's."

Brennan shook her head, "Sid doesn't stay open that late. You called him, didn't you?"

Booth shrugged slightly and smiled charmingly at her. She laughed lightly and Booth took that as a yes, "All right!" He grabbed some plates from the cabinet and set everything up. After a few minutes of sorting everything out and silent eating, Booth told her, "After you gave me your parents' missing persons file, I did some poking around."

Brennan looked at him surprised, "You never told me you started to work on it?"

Booth sighed, "Well, there wasn't much I could do. There was no evidence, no clear jurisdiction. Listen, Bones. Finding your mother's remains means that I can open an official F.B.I. case. I mean for the first time, a real investigation can occur."

Brennan nodded her head as she provided, "Three days after my parents disappeared, they found our car at a rest stop a thousand miles from where we lived in Chicago."

Booth smiled sadly at her, "Yeah. I found it in a Federal impound lot in Jersey. I'm having it trucked to the Jeffersonian."

Brennan looked at him surprised, "They kept it all those years?"

Booth looked down at the file. "Well, nobody claimed it. Your father was a high school science teacher. He had no trouble with anyone at work. And then your mother… That's a different matter."

Brennan didn't know what that meant. "She was a bookkeeper."

Booth hated to bring all this back up for her. All the pain. "Mm, she was a witness for the prosecution. Twice. On evasion charges. That gives motive. Then there's uh, your brother."

Brennan sighed and said bitterly, "Russ. The brother who deserted me."

Booth squeezed her hand comfortingly, "He's on parole. He ran a chop shop processing stolen cars for parts."

Brennan rolled her eyes and snorted, "Figures."

Booth tried to ease into this conversation. "He says that you blame him for your parents' disappearance?"

Brennan's head snapped up as she heard that. "You talked to Russ?"

Booth nodded slowly. "I called him. Just asked him a few routine questions. He didn't give me much. We're gonna find out what happened to your mom. Okay babe? We'll find out."

~BONES~

Brennan smiled as she leaned into Booth after placing their plates on the table in front of the couch. "If you keep bringing Chinese food in the middle of the night, we're both gonna get fat."

Booth smiled and brought Brennan closer to him, molding her to his side. "I know what you've been thinking."

Brennan placed her head on his shoulder and whispered, "I doubt it."

Booth whispered right back, "You've been thinking that your family is made up of liars and criminals. And that makes you feel lonely. There's a story here we don't know yet."

Brennan needed to know that it wasn't true. All the bad that she was told, it wasn't true. "Like what?"

Booth chuckled softly, "Bones, 'don't know' means it's a mystery."

Brennan sighed and whispered, "Your parents didn't go out at night after you were asleep and rob banks. I'm not saying that they were better, but…"

Booth sighed as he thought back to his own childhood. "My parents." For some reason he laughed at that thought. "My dad drove thuds and phantoms in Vietnam. Those are fighter jets. After that, he was a barber in Philadelphia and my mom, she wrote jingles for a local advertising agency. But that's what they did as a job, not as a parent. Listen, Bones. You know – parents, um, they have secret lives. If they didn't, they wouldn't be parents. Listen Bones, it is kinda late for Chinese. Let's go to bed. Come on." Booth scooped Brennan up in his arms and carried her to their bed. He stripped them of both their clothes and laid down next to her, bringing her back flush against his chest. Hoping his body heat was comfort enough for her.

~BONES~

Brennan looked at McVicar and told him, "They found your blood in the car."

Booth shook his head in disgust. "You hurt lots of people, Vince. You bashed in their heads."

McVicar sneered at Booth and told them, "Well, they never proved that, or I wouldn't be in Witness Protection."

Booth said aggravatedly, "Yeah, we know how it works, Vince. You rat out your crew. Everybody loses interest in a few old murders…"

Brennan looked at him unmovingly. "My mother was hit on the head."

McVicar nodded his head already had his story planned out. "Yeah, I know. I was there. Thirty-two stitches."

Booth narrowed his eyes and said, "She fought back, huh?"

McVicar snorted, "Ruthie fought back, alright, but not against me."

Brennan didn't understand. "Then against whom?"

McVicar lied, "Your father."

Booth definitely was not buying this. "Why did he attack you?"

McVicar smiled slyly, "Think about it a second, all right?"

Brennan couldn't believe what this man was saying. "You and my – my mother?"

McVicar nodded his head and he played innocent. "Me and Ruthie had run off together. Max caught us pulling into a motel outside of Champaign, Illinois. We were nuts about each other, Ruthie and me. Crazy in love."

Booth didn't want Brennan to hear that load of shit. He protectively placed his hand on her waist and told him, "Okay, let's just skip that part, okay?"

McVicar shrugged his shoulders, "Well, he hit Ruthie first."

Brennan didn't believe it. "With what?"

McVicar told them, "Tire iron. Hit my arm, caught me a roundhouse to the head. Lights out, baby. I came to, Ruthie and Max were gone. Never saw neither of them again. You ask me, Max killed Ruthie and buried her somewhere and vanished. Our plan, once we set up – most likely in Florida – was to bring you down. Your father is a hard man, Joy."

Brennan shook her head. "My name is Brennan. I'm Dr." She sighed heavily, "I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan." McVicar scoffed and walked out of the barn leaving them alone. Brennan turned around and walked away. "I work at the Jeffersonian Institution. I'm a Forensic Anthropologist. I specialize in identify…" She started to break a little, "in identifying…in identifying people when nobody knows who they are. My father was a science teacher. My mother was a bookkeeper." She started to cry as she continued, "My brother…" she wiped her tears away, "I have a brother." Now her tears were flowing freely. "I'm married to Seeley Booth. I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Booth came over to her and pulled her tight against him. "I know who you are. Hey. I know. It's okay. Shh. It's gonna be alright. I've got you."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were in the car, with Brennan driving. "Why are you letting me drive?"

Booth smiled at her and said, "It's your reward."

Brennan looked at him with an amused smile, "For what?"

Booth chuckled as he thought back to earlier that day. "For totally pissing off a hit man. Can I read your book?"

Brennan tried to conceal her smile as she said, "After it comes out."

Booth looked at her in disbelief. "Not before?"

Brennan shook her head as she finally smiled, "No."

Booth pouted slightly as he pointed out, "I let you drive. And you let David see it!"

Brennan laughed as she patted his thigh, "It was either that or have sex with him. Just let it go."

He slouched in his chair and he knew she was right. He looked out the window and saw that they weren't going home. "Where are we going?"

Brennan smiled widely, "I'd like to make up for a little lost time."

~BONES~

Brennan, Russ and Booth all enter their apartment as Brennan asked, "Anybody thirsty?"

Russ smiled and joked, "Is it too early for a beer?"

Booth smiled as he told Brennan. "Ah, I gotta go. You know, I'm picking up Parker for the weekend." Booth saw her manuscript on the counter and saw that the title was scratched out. Like he suggested. "But, I'll take one."

Russ looked up at him surprised. "You have boy?"

Booth nodded his head and smiled. "Yeah." He lifted up the front page and saw the dedication 'This book is to my partner and special friend, Special Agent Seeley Booth.' His smile widened. Oh yeah, he was in it.

Russ nodded as he told him. "The woman I'm seeing, she's got uh, two daughters."

Booth put the page down and looked up at Brennan, "Nice. Girls are nice." Brennan handed the two guys a beer and they raised their bottles to toast. "To us."

Russ could feel that something was going on between those two. He just didn't know yet. "Whoever the hell we are."

Brennan smiled at them as she clinked her bottle against theirs. "To what we're becoming." Brennan went over to play back the phone messages. It announced, "New message recorded today. 3 p.m."

A man's voice was emitted from the speakers, "Temperance? You have to stop looking. Y—You have to stop looking for me right now. This is bigger and worse than you know. Please stop now."

Booth placed his beer back on the table. And asked concerned at Brennan's expression.

"Who's that?"

Brennan looked at Russ and then Booth. "That was my father."

That wasn't what he was expecting. At all.

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 **This is the second to last chapter of this story because season 1 is coming to end**

 **Please is review**


	24. Chapter Break 2

**Disclaimer - I don't bones and I really wish I could**

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 **Chapter 22.5 – The Gamble in the Game**

Booth slowly made his way to the medic tent. Well it was more of a fort than a tent, but that's what everyone called it. When Nurse Sanders had come up to him in the workout room, he'd been more than surprised. However when she had told him that Dr. Brennan wanted to talk with him, he was happy to do so. But just like the first time he met her in that forest, he was surprised yet again, by why she wanted to talk with him. She thanked him of course but what she really wanted to know was what had happened to her. The woman amazed him. Booth knew that there was something special about Dr. Brennan. He just didn't know what yet.

As he came up to the tent he was overcome with a sort of nervousness that he hadn't felt in years. He was a sniper for goodness sake and his palms were sweating at just the idea of playing poker with this woman. He needed his head shrinked.

He pushed through the doors and scanned the beds looking the doctor. What he saw left him breathless. Sitting in a wheelchair by one of the windows, she looked more alive than he ever saw her. Her hair was flowing freely in soft curls around her face. And that face. My god. She looked like a goddess. Her skin glowed and her eyes were a vibrant blue, almost like sapphires. She definitely didn't look like that earlier that day, not that she looked bad then either. She had a natural beauty that couldn't be taken away in any situation. But the image in front of him stopped him in his tracks. She was stunning. Dazzling. Gorgeous. All around beautiful. She looked so innocent and yet liked she understood the entire world. It was so conflicting, that Booth didn't know what to do. He was startled out of his revere as Nurse Sanders came up to him and whispered, "She's been looking forward to this all day. Once I brought her back here she asked if she could bathe. She wanted to look good for you Master Sergeant. Go on and dazzle the socks out of her."

Booth looked down at Sanders and smiled warmly. He had always been fond of her, she reminded him of his grandmother. "Yes, ma'am." Booth walked the rest of the way toward the window, stopping only a few feet from her. He smiled charmingly as he spoke, "Dr. Brennan, do you believe in fate?"

~BONES~

Brennan was looking out a window watching soldiers walk by, laughing openly at something one of their comrades said or did. What she would give to be able to walk freely. She looked down at herself and snorted softly. She would never admit it aloud, but she had indeed – what was the word – gussy upped herself for later that day. She knew rationally that she did indeed to bathe herself properly, since a sponge bath – which she was sure she had gotten when she arrived – was not sufficient. However, she wanted to look nice for Booth. She chalked it up to her biological urge to reproduce when she had just had a near death experience. Yet Booth still had an amazing affect on her. He made her heart race, her temperature spiked when he was near her, and she felt…safe with him. She hadn't felt safe around anyone in a very long time.

Brennan hated that she had actually dolled herself up for a man, bringing herself down to such low standards of looking attractive. It's like this would indeed go anywhere, or that she wanted it to. She didn't even know if he was committed to someone – even though monogamy made no sense to her. She had been thinking all of that when she heard a deep comforting voice asked, "Dr. Brennan, do you believe in fate?"

She slowly turned around in her wheelchair and smiled at him, "Absolutely not. Ludicrous. And you can call me Brennan."

She watched as his smile grew. "Really? Because I think it was fate for me to beat your ass in poker."

Brennan laughed for the first time she could remember in years. And she laughed throughout their game. He told her some of the pranks they played on the new guys. She told him of her times on various digs. She had never been so open with anyone before. Perhaps it was the thought that she would never see Booth again when she left – she hated psychology so she never tried to deal with it – but whatever the case, it felt good to talk so freely and not fear any repercussions. And of course Booth won the game, he won most of them – and not because of fate, she was never good at poker.

Booth had been shuffling the cards for another round when he said, "So Brennan, what you basically do is identify remains off of their bones."

Brennan smiled at him from across her bed – where they had gone to play, him on one end and her at the other sitting Indian style – and nodded her head, "Yes, in layman's terms. Why?"

Booth smiled as he shook his head, "No reason. Just making sure." He dealt out a hand and said nonchalantly, "I gotta tell ya…I really am enjoying getting to know ya, Bones."

Brennan's head snapped up at that name. "Bones is not my name."

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a nickname." He always gave nicknames out to people he liked. And he definitely liked Brennan.

Brennan sat back and looked at Booth, all of a sudden wanting to cry. She hadn't been given a nickname in a long time, unless she counted what her classmates called her in high school – Morticia – which she didn't. The last person to give her a nickname was her brother, Russ. She was touched deeply that Booth had already wanted to give her something he would only call her. She realized then that he was looking at her, concerned that he offended her in some way. She quickly scrambled to answer him. "Oh, yes. I see. I could call you…" She looked at him up and down, looking for any indicator of something that stood out. She landed on his shoes. "…shoes!"

Booth looked down at his shoes and then back up at her. "Shoes? Why shoes?"

Brennan nodded her head, "Yes, because they are so very shiny." That's when Brennan realized that Booth was actually dressed in his military – what was the word – outfit. He had all his medals and he even had his hat thingy. He wasn't dressed in his fatigues like the other soldiers. Interesting.

Booth looked down at his shoes again and said, "The shoes, they're part of my uniform. The Army, they just have a way of doing things."

Brennan looked down at her hand thinking of her next move when she told him, "Well, anthropologically speaking, para-militaristic and militaristic organizations tend to constrain individuality."

Booth snorted at that thought, "That's for sure."

Brennan smiled as she saw that she would most definitely win this hand. "But any group, no matter how restrictive, the free thinkers, the mavericks, rebels with leadership quality, find ways to declare their distinctiveness."

Booth didn't know how to take that. Was that a compliment or not? "I'm a free thinking real rebel." That's when Brennan put down her hand revealing a straight flush.

Booth chuckled as he took a sip of water that Sanders brought over some time ago. He, however immediately choked on it when Brennan asked him, while dealing out the next hand, "Are you seeing anyone?"

Regain his ability to breath, he said, "Wow. Right to the point there, huh, Bones? Uh, not really. I mean, she's sorta expecting…you know what, it's complicated. You?"

Brennan shrugged her shoulders, "Well, uh, a physicist has been asking me out so I was thinking of saying yes."

Booth was about to tell her that he'd ask her out if he could, when his watched beeped. He looked down at the time, surprised to see it was already time to go. He smiled at Brennan and said, "Well, Bones. I had a great time, but I have to go to some party. That's why I had to wear this monkey suit. But I'll come by tomorrow and finish this hand."

Brennan smiled at him. "I look forward to that. Good-bye Booth."

Booth slipped his hat on and waved as he left, "See ya, Bones."

~BONES~

Brennan waited all day for him. She hated to admit it, but she enjoyed herself a lot in his company. But by the time 8:00 PM rolled around, she knew Booth wasn't coming. However irrational it was, it hurt slightly to have been lied to. If Booth hadn't wanted to finish the game he didn't need to lie to her. She felt betrayed almost. But most of all she was angry at herself for letting Booth get to her like such. It's not like she would ever see him again. Brennan wheeled herself – damn wheelchair – to her bed and laid down, deciding to go to sleep early so she could leave even earlier the next day. Today had been her last day and she had hoped to see Booth before she left, but apparently he didn't want to see her.

~BONES~

Brennan gathered her limited items together and was being walked to the airplane that was going to take her home. Nurse Sanders was walking with her, telling her that she still needed to rest and to drink lots of fluids and get back on a regular, healthy diet for her to heal properly. She also suggested she see a psychologist for any emotional trauma she might have had – which only got her a glare from Brennan in return. The two soldiers that had been escorting them stopped though, when a truck pulled up beside another plane in the hanger. A man walked down the stairs with someone else in handcuffs.

Brennan was shocked to see that it was in fact Booth being led to the awaiting truck. He looked livid. Sanders leaned in and whispered to her, "He went AWOL shortly after he left you the other night. I heard his son was born and they wouldn't let him off base. Poor fella flew all the way to America just to be brought back here on base."

Brennan looked at Sanders and then back at Booth. She whispered to no one in particular, "He has a son?" Just at that moment Booth looked directly to his side and directly at her. His features relaxed from one of anger to surprise. As the truck pulled away, Brennan waved good-bye. He hadn't betrayed her; he had just gone to see his son. Like a true alpha-male.

~BONES~

Six Months Later

Her relationship with the physicist went nowhere, fast. He was rather boring and whenever she went out with him, she always thought of Booth. Which was stupid because she would most likely never see him again. Ever. So she had decided to date her old professor, Michael. It was going. So there she was at a coffee cart in Washington D.C. waiting in line for coffee.

What she really wanted to do was get a job at the Jeffersonian Institute – she had interned there while completing her doctorate in '98 – but they weren't hiring at the time. A Dr. Goodman told her to come back in about a year when their current Forensic Anthropologist was sure to retire. So she waited. She had been offered a few times to go on various other digs, but she had turned them all down. She wasn't up to it yet. But soon.

A light breeze came by, causing Brennan to tighten her scarf around her neck just a little. It was unseasonably cool for autumn. She had just paid for her coffee and turned around when she heard someone call out, "Bones."

She had not expected to her that voice. She in fact had just scolded herself about that very fact. But as she turned around to face the man that called out her nickname, she saw him there. He was dressed in sweats, a white tee, and a hoodie. And he had a stroller in front of him. With a baby inside. She swallowed around the lump in her throat.

Booth smiled widely as he watched Brennan walk over to him. He hadn't seen her in six months this was a pleasant surprise on his run. He hadn't even been sure if it was her at first. The first thing he saw were her eyes as she smiled at the cashier at the coffee cart. She looked healthier, fuller. If it was even possible, she was even more beautiful. As she stopped in front of him, he spoke, "Wow. You look great, Bones. How are you?"

Brennan smiled softly, unsure of what to do. "I'm well, thank you." She looked down at the baby and then back up, "I see you've been busy."

Booth looked down, realizing that she didn't know about his son. "Oh!" He bent down and picked him up out of his stroller. "Bones, this is my son. Parker." He then whispered to Parker, "Parks, this is Bones. Wave hi."

Brennan knew that the baby had no clue what Booth was saying, but she laughed softly as Booth waved the baby's hand for him. "He is quite cute. He looks very much like you."

Booth looked down at Parker and then back up with the proudest smile she had ever seen on his face. "You think? Thanks."

Brennan nodded her head as she took a sip of her coffee. "Well, it was nice seeing you again Booth. Perhaps I'll see you in the region again."

Booth looked at her confused for a second before he chuckles, "You mean, see you around. Yeah, I hope so." Booth watched as she blushed slightly but nodded her head farewell and walked away. However, his gut was telling him to not let her do that, so he called out. "Hey Bones!"

She turned around again and waited for him to say what it was he was going to say. He walked over to her and she soon realized that he looked nervous. "I was wondering, if you have time, you know, we could have dinner sometime."

She looked at him in surprise. "Like a date?"

Booth smiled sheepishly at her. "Yeah, like a date."

"Oh, what about Parker's mother? Wouldn't she find that odd?"

Booth looked down at Parker and bounced him up and down a little. "Nah, Becs and I aren't really on speaking terms right now. She saying, since we were never married that I don't have any rights to Parks here…but you don't need to know that. So, how about that date?"

Brennan didn't know why someone would try to keep a child from someone who obviously loved their child. Especially someone that was a great protector, an alpha-male, like Booth. But she did like the idea of going out with him. She smiled at him, "I would like that very much."

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 **This is the last chapter of this series of books the next book is about season 2 "The Wonderful Partnership Pt 2" will be posted as soon as I post this chapter so read up on this one because were going to season 2.**


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